


Calendar Pages

by creepingrosemary



Series: Lifeline [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: A bit darker than I originally planned but i am a weak woman, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Fluff and Angst, Iwaizumi Tooru, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Mostly Fluff, Some OC's - Freeform, Some Plot, implied levyaku, one time thing though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-07-24 03:38:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 42,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7491987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creepingrosemary/pseuds/creepingrosemary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Family doesn't end in blood -- that was something Iwaizumi Tooru learned at a very early age. Through thick and thin, he knew his family would always be there to guide him through life's obstacles.</p><p>or</p><p>Join Hajime, Tooru, and the others through life's trial and errors. Throw a few burned cakes and a camping trip into the mix and things are bound to get interesting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intensity

**Author's Note:**

> Whoops, did I say don't expect a sequel/spin-off in the immediate future? I meant within the next couple of days. And because I can't think of a solid plot point for a true sequel just yet, how about a spin-off featuring Tooru and the gang just being, well, themselves?
> 
> This will be fluff with some angst (y'all know I thrive on it), but mostly fluff. Tooru will also be written between a few months old to 12 years old. It'll just depend on the context and it'll give more opportunities for fluff!
> 
> Also, each chapter will pretty much standalone (unless stated otherwise) just so there's no confusion!
> 
> Got a hilarious/cute/painful situation that you'd love to see these volleydorks in? Throw it at me!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooru forgets one of the most important aspects of volleyball.

Iwaizumi Tooru prided himself on a lot of things.

He prided himself on the fact that he got a 100 on his last math test when he had studied all week for it. He prided himself on being the ace of his volleyball team. He prided himself on being best friends with someone who would easily rise to be one of the best setters in the prefecture.

But one of the things he prided himself most on was being the son of an ace.

His father was the ace of Aoba Jousai – a powerhouse high school – and the ace of Tokyo University. He had seen the volleyball matches between Karasuno, Datekou, and Aoba Jousai countless times. He had studied the techniques of each team, hoping to someday implement them into his own time on the court. 

He had to work hard if he wanted to be as good as his father was. And with a big game coming up in a couple of weeks, against Okumura Hikaru’s team no less, that’s exactly what he planned to do. 

When the final bell rang for the day, Tooru waited outside his classroom for Kousuke like he always did so they could head to the gym together for practice. His classmates passed by him, chattering excitedly about their plans for the weekend, and a few girls waved at him upon seeing him. He smiled and waved back, not really understanding why they were so giddy, but didn’t pay too much attention to it.

When almost ten minutes went by and there was still no Kousuke, Tooru was starting to wonder. Where was he? Practice started in 15 minutes! Did he get held up by one of his teachers? Did he get in trouble again with the principal?

Thankfully, two of his teammates were walking by.

“Hey, Hamada, Kimura,” Tooru said, garnering their attention. “Do you know where Kousuke is?”

Hamada jabbed his thumb in the direction behind him. “He got caught up in his fan club again.”

Tooru’s brow twitched in irritation.

“Better hurry,” Kimura said. “You know how Coach is about punctuality.”

Tooru huffed as he stormed off in the direction Hamada pointed to. “Trust me, we’ll be there.” He could’ve sworn he heard them snickering to themselves but he really didn’t have the patience to care.

And sure enough, when he arrived, there was a group of squealing girls surrounding Kousuke, holding out boxes of homemade sweets that he was eagerly trying.

“You made this all by yourself?” Kousuke asked.

One of the girls looked like she was going to combust. “Y-Yes! I spent the last two days making it!”

Kousuke grinned. “That’s amazing!”

Tooru deadpanned. They did _not_ have time for this. He unzipped his backpack, pulling out the volleyball he’s had for as long as he can remember, and chucked it. With frightening accuracy, it clocked Kousuke right in the back of the head and the girls shrieked. The volleyball was airborne for a moment before arcing back into Tooru’s waiting hand.

“Y-Yukimura-kun?” one said.

Kousuke rubbed his head. “Ow!” He turned round, tears in his eyes and obviously aggravated. “What the hell? No one else hits me! Oh.” He stopped short upon meeting Tooru’s disgruntled stare and turned back to the girls with an apologetic smile. “Sorry, we’ll talk again another time.”

The girls, albeit disappointed, walked in the opposite direction while Kousuke and Tooru headed for the gym. Tooru put his volleyball back in his backpack and pretty much ignored Kousuke’s complaints.

“Ah, Iwa-chan, that really hurt!” Kousuke whined. “Did you have to hit me?”

Tooru scoffed. “You don’t listen to me otherwise.” He picked up the pace. “Anyway, we’d better hurry. Practice starts soon. And we’re gonna win against Okumura this time.”

“Hell yeah we are!” Kousuke exclaimed. “Okumura is going down!”

**

Practice was going great.

Tooru hit the water bottle every single time when they worked on spiking, he received every ball, and he managed to block a majority of the attacks during their three on three match. On Fridays, however, their coach allowed them to split up and work on what they were lacking individually for the last 15 minutes of practice. And for Tooru, that was serving.

He wasn’t _bad_ at it, per se – the ball went over the net about 95% of the time – he just knew that there was room for improvement. And he wanted to improve. His coach had said that the power was definitely there, but his control was a little off. So Kousuke, who was the exact opposite of Tooru and had more control than power, lined up water bottles in a row on the other side of the net as Tooru brought over a rack of volleyballs. 

“All set, Iwa-chan!” Kousuke said. “Fire when ready!”

Tooru picked up a volleyball and took a deep breath. He tossed it into the air, going up for the jump serve just as Kageyama had taught him, and his hand connected. The ball flew over the net and he watched with careful eyes as it landed near the water bottle but not close enough to knock it over.

He cursed.

“So close, Iwa-chan!” Kousuke said. “About an inch off. Try again!”

Tooru nodded, grabbing another ball. He wasn’t going to give up that easily.

And that’s how the rest of practice went, with Tooru attempting to hit the water bottles and Kousuke giving him pointers. But there were still two water bottles standing towards the end of it all, and Tooru was starting to get frustrated.

He panted, wiping a bead of sweat that trailed down his forehead. Why couldn’t he get it?! Okumura’s team had strong receivers, and there was no way he could beat them if he couldn’t hit one measly little water bottle! He had to get it right!

Tooru picked up another ball as Kousuke came over.

“You ready to go home?” Kousuke asked.

“One more,” Tooru said. There was a slight pull in his leg but he ignored it. “Last one.”

Kousuke seemed hesitant but nodded. “All right. Last one.” He walked over to the remaining water bottles. “Remember what I told you.”

Tooru fixed his glasses and took another deep breath. “Focus.” He lobbed it up and followed it into the air, his hand connecting and watching it soar over the net towards the bottle on the left. He felt his heart race. It was going to hit!

But when he landed, and Kousuke cheered that he had the water bottle, Tooru’s attention was on something else entirely. Sharp pain reverberated around his ankle as he fell over, and he let out a strangled cry when he toppled to the court on his side.

“Iwa-chan!” Kousuke came running over along with a few other teammates. He knelt down beside his friend. “Are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” Tooru said, wincing a little as he tried to sit up. His right ankle was starting to swell and bouts of pain shot up his leg when he moved it.

Kousuke inspected Tooru’s ankle. “Looks like you sprained it.”

Tooru felt panic flood through him. No, no, no! He couldn’t have sprained his ankle! Not now! Not when they were so close to playing Okumura’s team!

“No, I’m fine,” Tooru insisted and attempted to stand.

Kousuke put his hand firmly on Tooru’s shoulder. “Don’t you move.”

The coach came over. “What’s going on?”

“He might’ve sprained his ankle,” Kousuke answered.

The coach knelt down at Tooru’s other side and examined the boy’s ankle, his fingers brushing it and nodding in confirmation when Tooru hissed in pain. “Yeah, you sure did a number on it, Iwaizumi. You’re done for the night. I’ll call your parents and let them know to come get you.”

“No!” Tooru said. “Please don’t call my dad. I can walk home.”

“On that ankle?” Kousuke raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be dumb, Iwa-chan. You can barely move it. I’ll have my mom come get us and she can drop you off.” There was a certain degree of finality in Kousuke’s tone that left absolutely no room for argument.

Tooru sighed heavily. Just _great._

When Kousuke’s mother arrived, Kousuke helped Tooru get in the car and politely declined their assistance when they arrived at his house. During the drive, while it was still throbbing, Tooru felt that he could put enough weight on it to make it up the walkway and get inside without it giving out on him.

“You gonna be okay?” Kousuke handed Tooru his backpack, eyebrows drawn with concern.

Tooru slung it over his shoulder. “Yeah, I got it.” He waved to Kousuke’s mother and thanked them both and started hobbling to the front door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They drove off when Tooru made it in the house, and he dropped his bag by the front door. “I’m home!” 

He plopped down as he removed his shoes, biting his lip when his ankle protested from the movement. He stood up, testing the amount of weight he could put on it and cursing when he realized he could barely place his foot down without it wanting to yield.

_Get it together, Tooru!_

He didn’t want his father to know that he hadn’t been resting, that he hadn’t heeded one of the most important things he had learned when he started playing volleyball. And he’d been doing great so far. He rested when he was tired, took water breaks when needed.

But this time…

He put his arm against the wall for support. This time he really botched it up.

Daichi rounded the corner, smiling when he saw Tooru. “Welcome home, Tooru. How was school?”

“Hi, Papa,” Tooru did his best to grin without it seeming too forced. “It was good.”

Daichi almost continued but paused when he caught the pained look on Tooru’s face and looked down, seeing the swollen ankle. His eyes widened a bit. “What happened?”

“I-It’s nothing! I’m fine!” Tooru said, trying to move back from Daichi’s prying eyes.

Daichi knelt down, holding out his hand with a serious expression. “Tooru, let me see your ankle.”

Tooru finally relented, balancing on his other foot with his hand still against the wall while Daichi examined his ankle. He bit his lip.

Daichi straightened after a moment. “Come on, let’s get you off this foot.” He lifted Tooru up and easily placed him on the couch, propping his foot up on a pillow. “I’m gonna get you some ice.” He headed to the kitchen. 

Tooru sighed and placed his forearm over his eyes, doing his best to ignore the pain.

Hajime came into the room, putting his phone away in his pocket, and when he saw Tooru lounging on the couch with his foot being supported by a pillow, he immediately went over. “What happened?”

Tooru looked glanced to the side for a second, trying to figure out how to go about this. “I… I – uh…”

Daichi walked up to Hajime, bag of ice in hand. “He definitely sprained his ankle. Not sure how bad it is though.”

“I landed on it wrong,” Tooru said, not entirely sure who he was trying to convince. “I promise – I’m fine! It’s not as bad as it looks.”

Hajime sat down at the edge of the couch, mindful of Tooru’s foot and thanked Daichi for the ice, before inspecting Tooru’s ankle with expert eyes. It was definitely swollen and tender to the touch, a little red too, and Tooru grimaced as he did so.

He clutched onto his father’s sleeve. “Ow – Dad, that hurts!”

Hajime sighed and put the ice to Tooru’s ankle. “Well, luckily it’s only a minor sprain. How’s your knee?”

“It’s fine,” Tooru said. “It doesn’t hurt.”

Hajime nodded. “Good. We’ll ice it and then wrap it before you go to bed. I’ll get some crutches from my job so you can take some of the pressure off. In the meantime, you’re not playing any volleyball until this is taken care of. At least for the rest of the week.”

“What?” Tooru’s eyes widened and he felt his stomach sink. Not play volleyball? For a _week?_ No way! He sat up. “Dad, I have to practice! The game against Okumura is in two weeks and I have to be ready! I have to be there for my team!”

“Tooru,” Daichi cut in, “playing on a bad ankle is only going to make it worse. And then you’ll be sitting out even longer.”

“We understand how important this game is to you, but we’re more worried about you getting better,” Hajime said.

Tooru slumped his shoulders, lowering his head. He had worked so hard only for it to come to this. Countless practices dedicated to improving and he hurts himself two weeks before one of the biggest games ever. He screwed up big time.

“You were practicing your jump serve, weren’t you?” his father asked.

Tooru looked at him. “How did you…?”

“I know you, son,” Hajime said. “You’ve been working on that jump serve since you were first introduced to volleyball. I see how hard you’ve worked.”

“All the more reason for me not to sit out,” Tooru reasoned. “Dad, I’m fine. I can play.”

“Yeah? Try walking to your room and back without limping.”

At first, Tooru was up to the challenge and was convinced he could pull it off. But then his ankle throbbed even more underneath the pack of ice and he conceded. It really hurt. And he was sure that if he stood up, he’d topple over.

“I can’t,” Tooru muttered.

“You overdid it, didn’t you?” Hajime questioned.

And Tooru felt heat rise to his cheeks in shame. He nodded. “My ankle was starting to hurt but I ignored it. I was only going to do one more serve! I thought I could get it this time.”

Hajime was quiet for a moment. “What’s one of most important things of volleyball that we talked about?”

“Dad –”

“What’s one of the most important things of volleyball that we talked about?”

Tooru sighed, leaning back against the arm of the couch. “Rest is just as important as improving.”

“Exactly,” Hajime said. “Again, it’s just a minor sprain, but I don’t want this to worsen, okay? I’ve had a lot of athletes come into my office who overwork themselves and can’t play the sport they love anymore because of their injury. You’re only 12 years old, Tooru. I don’t want you to have to stop playing simply because you didn’t want to take a break.”

Tooru nodded.

Hajime continued. “I’m surprised, though. You’re usually so good about resting. What’s going on? Besides the game against Okumura, I mean. There’s something else on your mind.”

Tooru nibbled on his bottom lip. How was he supposed to go about this? “I just…” he started, faltering a bit. “I want to be a good volleyball player… like you… and Papa… and everyone else.”

He’s seen enough practice matches between his parents and everyone else to see that they were amazing volleyball players. There was no doubt about it. Even though some of them had never been on the same team in high school and in college, like his fathers for instance, they worked with perfect chemistry. They had perfect trust in each other. He wanted to be like that for his teammates. He wanted to be an ace they could be proud of.

“Tooru,” Daichi said, voice soft. “It took us years to get where we are. I promise, we didn’t get as good as we are overnight. We practiced a lot, but we also rested when we needed to because we couldn’t improve if we were hurt.”

Tooru nodded, understanding. He picked at his nails. “How long do you think I’m gonna have to sit out?”

“Definitely for the rest of this coming week,” Hajime answered. “We’ll see how you’re doing the week after that.” He ruffled Tooru’s hair. “For now, just rest. We’ll ice it for ten minutes and after dinner we’ll ice it again.” He smiled and stood up.

Tooru was quiet for a minute. “Dad? Papa?”

Hajime and Daichi looked at him.

He smiled. “Thank you.”

**

Needless to say, after hopping around on crutches, icing it, having it wrapped and elevated for the first week and slowly trying to walk on it the second week, Tooru made a full recovery and was able to play in the match against Hikaru’s team. His teammates had missed him and were ecstatic that he’d be playing. 

Tooru knew it’d be a tough game. Hikaru’s school was a powerhouse in Tokyo and had a very high blocking rate. They’d need everything that each player brought to the table. But he was ready. They all were.

“Try not to choke this time, Iwaizumi,” Hikaru sneered from the other side of the net, referring to the last game they played against each other when the pressure had gotten to Tooru and he’d missed the serve that ultimately cost them the game. “Don’t wanna disappoint your folks, now do you?”

Tooru smirked. “We’ll see about that.”

His team won the coin toss to serve first and Tooru was handed a ball by the referee. He took a deep breath. His family was up in the audience watching him. He wanted them to see how much progress he made.

“Iwaizumi, nice serve!” his teammates hollered.

“Focus,” he said. He waited for the tweet of the whistle and threw the ball into the air, his body moving of its own volition, and he sent it soaring over the net.

The ball hit in the pocket between two players, making both rush for it but stopped before colliding into each other, and that earned Tooru’s team the lead on the scoreboard. And Tooru would be lying if he said that the surprise on Hikaru’s face didn’t bring him some sort of satisfaction.

He was given the ball again and served it.

Granted, he was a little irritated that they had received it this time, but it was coming back to their side of the net and that was always a good thing. They would have a chance to attack, and there was nothing more than Tooru and Kousuke wanted than to blast through their blocks and earn a point.

The game was an entire bout of tug-of-war, neither side relenting even as they went into the third set. Tooru’s spikes didn’t get through all the time, mostly resulting in one-touches, and he had tried a few feints that worked. And while it was frustrating, it was equally parts exciting because he _loved_ a good competition. 

But when he went up for another spike, he noticed that Kousuke was starting to toss away from the net, and while that avoided the block, it also made it much harder to hit.

Hikaru’s team gained a point from the last one-touch and as they were setting up for the next serve, Tooru walked up to Kousuke.

“Hey,” he said.

Kousuke turned. “Yeah?”

“Don’t change the set up,” Tooru said. “I want to take this challenge.”

Kousuke paled at the look on Tooru’s face. “G-Got it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I used two of my favorite Oikawa and Iwaizumi scenes and I'm not afraid to say so.


	2. Ribbon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burned cakes and attempted dates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 5

He stretched out his arm, fingertips brushing against cold sheets.

His eyes fluttered open, meeting the bright sunlight pouring in through the blinds and he grunted, rolling over to avoid it. Sleep played at the edges of his mind, but he lifted his head.

What time was it?

Hajime looked at the clock. 10:30? Shit, he overslept. _Really_ overslept. He could’ve sworn he set an alarm. Did he just not hear it? He slid out of bed, pulling on a shirt, and brushed his teeth before ambling out into the living area. Though it was highly unlikely, maybe Tooru was still asleep so Daichi wouldn’t have to –

“Happy birthday, Daddy!” Tooru ran up and hugged his leg. He held out his arms.

Hajime easily picked the boy up. Birthday?

Daichi came over, an amused smile on his face, and _fuck_ he was wearing one of Hajime’s shirts. It was a red one – one that Hajime didn’t really wear anymore but that was beside the point. They’d been living together for a few months now and _dammit Hajime get your shit together._

“Don’t tell me you forgot your own birthday,” Daichi said.

Hajime tried not to let his stare linger for too long at how freaking good Daichi looked right now and snuck a peek at the calendar on the wall. June 10th was circled. And June 10th was today. What the hell.

Daichi’s smile widened. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

“It may or may not have slipped my mind,” Hajime grinned, a slight flush to his cheeks from embarrassment.

Tooru giggled. “Silly Daddy.”

“Your daddy is very silly, Tooru,” Daichi said and kissed Hajime’s lips softly. “Happy birthday.”

Hajime smiled. “Thank you.” And kissed him again.

“Yuck!” Tooru stuck out his tongue and covered his eyes. “Gross!”

Daichi chuckled as Hajime assaulted Tooru with an onslaught of kisses all over his cheeks, tickling him in the process. Tooru let out a playful shriek and tried wriggling out of his father’s arms, reaching towards Daichi.

“Papa! Papa, help me!” he cried out, laughter continuing to bubble past his lips.

Daichi gave Tooru refuge in his hold, smiling as the boy clung to him.

“You’ll never win, Daddy!” Tooru grinned. “Papa will save me!”

Hajime let out an exaggerated sigh, leaning on the counter when they walked into the kitchen. “Guess that means I’ll just have to tickle him, too.”

“Don’t you dare, Iwaizumi Hajime,” Daichi said, a playful glint in his eyes.

Hajime had found out the hard way how ticklish his boyfriend was. And it was only in certain places. Let’s just say it involved making out on the couch late one night and Hajime’s hand had grazed Daichi’s side in just the right spot that caused Daichi to head butt him so hard, it made his nose bleed. Cue Daichi being absolutely mortified while Hajime just laughed it off.

Yeah, let’s not draw blood before the day has even begun.

“How do pancakes sound for breakfast?” Daichi asked.

“Yeah!” Tooru nodded.

“I’m fine with that,” Hajime said. “I’ll help.”

“No, no, no,” Daichi ushered him out of the kitchen. “You sit down, I’ve got this.”

Hajime started, “But –”

Daichi had him sit on the couch. “No buts. It’s your birthday – relax.” He smiled and kissed Hajime’s forehead. “I got this, okay?”

Hajime hesitated but eventually relented when he realized there was no way Daichi was backing down on this. He sighed and smiled. “All right.”

“I can help, Papa!” Tooru declared.

“That’s very kind of you, Tooru,” Daichi said. “You can be my number one helper today.”

“Yay!”

After breakfast, Daichi surprised Hajime with the newest season of the American TV show he’d been binge watching as a gift. (He completely blamed Futakuchi for this but was glad that he was able to get Daichi to sit down and watch a couple of episodes with him.) And since Tooru didn’t like anything that he saw at the different stores he went to with Daichi, he gave Hajime a new drawing of them and a small rock that glistened a dark green hue when the light hit it just right.

“It’s pretty… and it’s got green in it,” Tooru fidgeted. “Like your eyes.”

Hajime hugged him tight. “Thank you, Tooru. I love it.”

Daichi also told him that he had plans for them later that evening and that Kuroo and Suga had already offered to watch Tooru.

They spent most of the afternoon relaxing at home (Tooru had made party hats for them and crafted Hajime a cake out of molding clay), and were now heading to Kuroo and Suga’s place once the sun was beginning to set. Tooru was in between them, holding their hands as he skipped along the sidewalk and hummed.

“I can’t wait to play with Ame!” Tooru said. “He’s really big now! And he can spin around in circles when you ask him to! Tetsu-chan showed me how to do it!”

“That’s really awesome, Tooru,” Hajime smiled at his son’s enthusiasm.

They passed by an older woman who was closing up her ice cream shop for the night, and she smiled when she saw Tooru. “Hi there! Aren’t you the cutest little thing?”

Tooru immediately hid behind Hajime’s leg, peeking out at her and clinging to Daichi’s shorts with one hand with wary yet curious eyes.

Hajime gave her an apologetic smile, placing his hand on Tooru’s head. “Sorry, he gets shy sometimes.”

“That’s quite all right,” she said. “My granddaughter was the same way. He’s adorable though.” She crouched down a bit, her voice sweet and lilting. “What’s your name, dear?”

Tooru looked back and forth between Hajime and Daichi, who both nodded encouragingly. “I-Iwaizumi Tooru,” he mumbled.

“And how old are you, Tooru-chan?”

“F-Five.”

“Wow, you’re getting to be such a big boy,” she smiled. “Five, already?” She glanced at Hajime and Daichi. “And are these two gentlemen your parents?”

Tooru nodded, seeming to ease a little more. “Uh-huh. My daddy and my papa.”

“That’s just wonderful, Tooru-chan,” she said. “They’re great parents, aren’t they?”

Tooru nodded again with more conviction this time. “Uh-huh! The best!”

Hajime could feel a slight flush in his cheeks and saw Daichi scratching the back of his head and smiling. Tooru really was a sweet kid.

The woman straightened and started sifting through her keys to unlock her store. “I think I have a little something leftover in the shop for you, Tooru-chan. It was such a hot day today and it’s just gonna get thrown out if it doesn’t get eaten.” She paused for a moment and looked back at Hajime and Daichi. “If that’s okay with your parents, of course.”

Tooru looked up at them. “Daddy? Papa? Please?”

Daichi looked at Hajime and shrugged, so Hajime smiled at his son. “Go ahead.”

“What’s your favorite planet, Tooru-chan?” she asked.

“Neptune,” he said, a curious peak at the end of his tone.

The woman went inside, leaving Tooru in wonder, and returned with a decently sized ice cream cone that was decorated like Neptune, and star shaped wafers were placed on top and decorated all around the edges. She held it out to him. “Here you go, Tooru-chan. This was the last one left.”

Tooru’s eyes sparkled and he jumped with glee. “Thank you so much!” He turned to Hajime and Daichi. “Daddy, Papa! Look! Look! It’s Neptune!”

“That’s so cool!” Daichi grinned, crouching down so he could take a closer look at it.

“Thank you for that,” Hajime looked at the woman. “You really made his day.”

She waved her hand. “Oh it was no problem at all. I just hope he enjoys it.” She locked her store back up and watched Tooru dance happily around Daichi with his ice cream cone. She smiled. “You truly do have a wonderful and beautiful family. Take care of them, okay?” She walked away before Hajime could even respond.

And if memory served, Hajime could’ve sworn that he had seen her at the hospital at the time of the virus outbreak almost a year ago. And if memory served, Hajime could’ve sworn that she had lost her five-year-old granddaughter to it.

Daichi’s hand was suddenly holding his, effectively drawing his attention.

“You okay?” Daichi asked, eyebrows knitted together in concern.

“Yeah,” Hajime gave Daichi’s hand a comforting squeeze. “I’m good.”

When they arrived at Kuroo and Suga’s place, Ame nearly barreled into Tooru and started licking his cheeks where some of the sticky ice cream was still left. Tooru just laughed and hugged him.

“I will never get over how huge he is,” Daichi said.

Kuroo shrugged. “He doesn’t seem that big to me.”

“We see him every day, Tetsurou. Of course he won’t seem big to you,” Suga said, nudging Kuroo with his hip and smiled. “You still think he’s lap dog.”

“Because he is.”

Suga rolled his eyes and looked at Hajime and Daichi. “Happy birthday, Haji.”

Kuroo clapped Hajime on the back and smirked. “Yeah, happy birthday! How old are you now? 22?”

Hajime scoffed. “I wish.”

“Papa Bear’s gettin’ old!”

“We’re all the same age, I hope you realize that.” Suga cut in.

Kuroo deflated. “Let me dream, okay Kou?”

“So what do you two have planned for tonight?” Suga asked. 

“It’s a surprise,” Daichi said.

For some reason, Daichi wouldn’t tell Hajime what they were doing tonight for his birthday. And while Hajime was more than content with spending his birthday at home with his family or friends, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t the least bit excited to see what was in store for him.

“Oh? Is that why we weren’t invited?” Kuroo wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Because it’s one of _those_ surprises.”

“What kind of surprise, Tetsu-chan?” Tooru chirped from his spot on the floor next to Ame. “I wanna know the surprise!”

Hajime felt his face heat up. _Oh God why._

Suga grinned and dealt Kuroo a subtle blow to his side. “Nothing to worry about, my dear Tooru-chan! Tetsu-chan is just being silly!” He looked at Kuroo. “Right?”

“R-Right,” Kuroo smiled through the pain. “I’m just being silly.”

“That’s okay, Tetsu-chan,” Tooru said. “Daddy forgot it was his birthday today! He's pretty silly, too.”

Kuroo laid down on the floor next to Tooru and sighed heavily. “Yes. Yes, he is.”

Suga looked back at Hajime and Daichi and smiled. “You two go have fun, okay? Don’t worry.”

“As long as Kuroo doesn’t try to traumatize Tooru, I won’t have any reason to,” Hajime said.

“I got that under control,” Suga gave a thumbs up.

“Bye, Daddy! Bye Papa!” Tooru grinned as Kuroo waved half-heartedly from the floor. “Have fun!”

**

Daichi had surprised Hajime with tickets for the new horror film that just came out that he really wanted to see, and everything was going great. They arrived early enough to nab good seats and the movie was actually fairly scary. Adequate jump scares and solid effects.

They were about halfway through until there was a loud wail that pierced through the silence of the theater, making some of the audience scream and jump.

Hajime looked around as people started filing out. “The fire alarm?” 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Daichi said.

Hajime chuckled and took Daichi’s hand as they melded into the crowd. “Come on. We can come back and watch it another time.”

Everyone gathered outside in hopes of being let back into the theater on the account of it being a false alarm once emergency services arrived, but then the owner said that three of their popcorn machines had caught fire and they had to close it down due to the smoke.

Daichi sighed. “Sorry, Hajime.”

Hajime smiled. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

“Well, since we’re out of the movie early,” Daichi started, rubbing the back of his neck, “did you want to go to dinner? It’s, uh, it’s at your favorite tofu restaurant. I hope that’s okay.”

“That’s perfect.”

**

“Uncle Kou, can we bake a cake?” Tooru tugged on the hem of Suga’s shirt. He wanted to ask his Papa earlier but he wanted it to be a surprise. He didn’t have any money to buy an actual gift and he wanted to do something nice. “Please? It’s for my daddy.”

Suga smiled. “Of course we can, Tooru-chan. What kind of cake?”

Tooru thought about it for a minute. “Um…” Now that he remembered, he didn’t know what kind of cake his daddy liked. “I-I don’t know. Do you know what kind of cake he likes?”

“Hmm,” Suga said. “Well, he likes chocolate and strawberry.” 

“We can make half-chocolate and half-strawberry. How does that sound?” Kuroo chimed in from his spot on the floor. He hadn’t moved and Ame was quite literally laying on top of him.

“Yeah! I like that!” Tooru said. “Half-chocolate and half-strawberry!”

Kuroo sat up. “Let’s get started then!”

“Try not to decorate the kitchen with flour this time, okay?” Suga followed Kuroo into the kitchen. “Otherwise you’re cleaning it up.”

“We would never, Kou!” Kuroo batted his eyes innocently next to Tooru. “Besides, this’ll be an opportune time to show off my baking skills.”

“You mean lack thereof.”

Kuroo looked at Tooru. “We’ll show him how great a team we make, won’t we, munchkin?”

“Yeah!” Tooru said. Then he paused. “But I still like Kenma-chan’s milk bread more.”

Suga chuckled. “Told you.”

They managed to make the batter and put it in the oven without too much chaos (although Tooru and Tetsu-chan almost started another flour fight because they kept painting each other’s faces with the stuff). So now all that was left was to wait. 

Tooru was super excited because they said he could add the frosting when it was all done and he would even get to lick the spoon afterwards! That was his favorite part. He and his Papa had made chocolate cupcakes one time when his daddy was working late and they smashed it into his daddy’s face when he got home. That was a lot of fun, even if he did get frosting in his hair and had to take a bath.

They sat down to watch a movie while it baked but it started to smell funny after a little bit.

“Tetsu, how high did the set the oven?” Suga headed to the kitchen.

Kuroo, currently holding Tooru, followed him. “I just did what the box said.”

Tooru clung to him. “It smells bad.”

Suga opened the oven and the entire top of the cake was almost black. He grabbed a butter knife and started slicing off the top, sighing heavily when he saw the inside was still undercooked. “Well, it looks like our oven is busted.”

“Awesome,” Kuroo said. “It wasn’t my fault this time.”

“Not helping, Tetsurou.”

Tooru looked at the underdone cake and felt his little heart drop. “So… we can’t bake a cake?”

Suga gave Tooru a sad smile. “I’m afraid not, Tooru-chan. The oven’s broken. But we can always go out and get one if you’d like. There’s a great bakery nearby that makes delicious cakes.”

Tooru, while still very disappointed about the oven breaking, nodded. “Okay.”

**

Dinner, on the other hand, could’ve been going much, _much_ better. First, they nearly lost their reservation because one of the employees forgot to put them down for tonight’s listing, which wasn’t a problem because they understood that things happened and the girl was fairly new to the job. But Hajime could tell that wasn’t what ultimately set Daichi on edge. 

It was the waitress currently and shamelessly flirting with him. In front of Daichi. And she knew they were a couple because Daichi had explicitly used the term “boyfriend.” And when she had found out it was Hajime’s birthday…

“Your food will be right out, Iwaizumi-kun.” She was twirling her chestnut brown locks with her fingers as she passed by, batting her eyelashes at him and wearing a smile that was almost sickeningly sweet.

Daichi tensed as she walked away. Hajime knew Daichi wasn’t the type to make a scene in public (hell, he wasn’t even really the jealous type), but even he had his limits. “And here I thought I was being crystal clear. I’m sorry, Hajime.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Hajime said. “It’s not your fault. Do you want to go somewhere else?”

Daichi sighed. “It’s fine. I can manage.”

Hajime placed his hand atop Daichi’s and smiled softly. “We can go somewhere else. Or we can go home if you don’t feel up to it. I’m honestly fine with it.”

“But your birthday –”

“Is already perfect because you put so much thought into it,” Hajime said. “You bought tickets for us to go to a movie I’ve been dying to see. You took me to my favorite restaurant.” His smiled widened. “Thank you.”

Now, while Hajime wasn’t the best at expressing his emotions with words and would much rather show them through action, he felt that Daichi really needed to hear this. Hajime really did and truly appreciated how much thought Daichi put into this. And sure, the movie theater almost caught fire and sure, the waitress couldn’t take a hint, but he was having a good time simply because he was with the man he loved.

Daichi, cheeks flushed, smiled back.

“How about we just go pick up Tooru and go home?”

Daichi nodded. “That sounds like a great idea.”

And as they got up to leave, the waiter that was carrying a tray of food slipped on a spot that had recently been mopped. And the entire array of sushi, rice and tofu went all over Hajime.

**

“I can’t believe they were sold out of strawberry and chocolate cake,” Kuroo said, carrying the next best thing the bakery had which was a small tray of cupcakes – vanilla flavor. “What’re the odds?”

Tooru sighed. Now he was even more bummed out. All he wanted was do something nice since it was his daddy’s birthday. Uncle Kou and Tetsu-chan helped him make a really great card after dinner, and then they went to the bakery that Uncle Kou was talking about, and there weren’t any more chocolate or strawberry cakes left. Or cupcakes like the one’s Tetsu-chan was holding. 

He looked at the half-eaten cookie he was holding. It didn’t taste as sweet anymore.

Uncle Kou knelt down beside him. “Hey, Tooru-chan. What’s the matter?”

He sniffled. “I just – I wanted to get Daddy something for his birthday. And… and they didn’t have the cake that he liked…” He was lifted into his Uncle Kou’s arms, wiping his eyes. He was five, he supposed to be a big boy. He wasn’t supposed to cry.

“But you did get him something nice, Tooru-chan,” Suga said. “Look, you got him these cupcakes and you made him a really neat card.”

“Yeah!” Kuroo added. “Your dad’s gonna love it no matter what because it came from you.”

“R-Really?” Tooru asked.

His daddy would love it? Even if they didn’t have his favorite cake?

“You bet!” Suga nodded. “You love your dad, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Of course he loved his daddy! He loved him tons and tons!

“And your dad loves you tons and tons,” Suga said. “And he will love anything you get him because you thought about him and that’s what’s important.” He brushed away the start of Tooru’s tears. “I promise.”

Tooru nodded, sniffling a bit as he smiled. “’Kay.”

Suga’s phone chimed and he pulled it out of his pocket, and even though Tooru tried to read it, he couldn’t. Suga looked at Kuroo. “Hajime and Daichi are on their way back.”

“Huh, that was fast,” Kuroo said. “I wonder what happened.”

Suga shrugged. “Who knows.”

**

After cleaning up and getting profuse apologies from the manager, their meal was on the house (since it ended up all over Hajime instead) and they decided to take a shortcut through the park to Kuroo and Suga’s place like they had before, hands entwined. 

“Are you sure you had a good time?” Daichi asked, his stride slowing down a bit. “It’s kind of embarrassing how things turned out.”

Hajime looked at him. “I had a great time.” He laughed a bit. “You should’ve seen the look on your face whenever the waitress would pass by. Looked like you were about to commit murder.”

Daichi raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know what’s so funny.”

“I’ve never seen you so jealous before.”

Cheeks tinged a deep red, Daichi placed his head against Hajime’s chest and relaxed in the firm hold he found himself in. He flicked a grain of rice sticking to Hajime’s shirt. “Sorry that I didn’t want her polished fingernails all over you.”

The summer night was fairly warm, the moon providing a cool glow and they were the only ones in the park. A slight breeze passed through, just enough to ruffle their hair, and Hajime pressed a soft kiss to Daichi’s head, making the latter look up.

“I love you,” Hajime said, words undulating on the tendrils of wind between them.

Daichi smiled. “I love you, too.”

Hajime caressed the side of Daichi’s face, leaning in. Their lips were about a breadth’s away from meeting when the sprinklers kicked on, misting them both in cold water.

Daichi groaned. “Oh come on!”

Hajime just laughed and kissed him anyway.

When they finally made it, partially drenched by the way and peppered with wet kisses and all, they could only grin at the shocked expression adorning Suga’s face.

“What happened?” Suga asked as they came inside.

“Park sprinkles came on,” Daichi ran a hand through his damp hair. “But that was after the move theater shut down because their popcorn machines caught fire and the waitress started flirting with Hajime at dinner.” He paused but then continued. “Not to mention that a new waiter slipped and dumped food all over him.”

“Yikes,” Kuroo handed both of them towels. “Bad night?”

Hajime shook his head. “I had a good time. It was actually pretty amusing.”

“Who has that much bad luck in one evening?”

“Apparently we do,” Daichi said.

Tooru came running over with Ame right beside him. “Daddy, Papa – you’re all wet! Hurry and dry off so you don’t get sick!”

Hajime smiled. “We will, son.”

Suga looked at the boy. “Tooru, don’t you have something you want to give your dad?”

“Oh yeah!” Tooru ran off, returning with a handmade card that had a drawing of him, Hajime, and Daichi on the front and a cupcake. He held it out to his father, a slight pink flush to his cheeks. “Here you go, Daddy.”

“Thank you,” Hajime took them.

“Don’t you have something you want to say to your dad?” Suga encouraged. “Remember?”

Tooru shuffled on his feet a bit, twiddling his thumbs. “U-Um… I – I wanted to make you a cake… and we worked really hard on it! But then Tetsu-chan burned it.”

“Did I just get thrown under the bus by a five year old?” Kuroo asked.

Suga shushed him.

“But then Uncle Kou said the oven broke because it was still squishy on the inside so it wasn’t Tetsu-chan’s fault.” He continued to fidget. “I – I wanted to do something nice because it’s your birthday and you’re… you’re the best Daddy in the whole wide world! You play with me and you teach me volleyball and you take care of me… And… and I love you lots and lots!”

Hajime wrapped his son in a tight hug, smiling from ear to ear. “Thank you so much, Tooru.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to go ahead and just make note of Tooru's age before you guys delve into the chapter in case I forgot to add context within the story so you're not left wondering. It makes me feel better about myself.
> 
> Hit me up on tumblr at [tenacioustooru](http://tenacioustooru.tumblr.com/) if you wanna talk about this story or _A Smile to the West_ or just wanna yell about these volleydorks. I'm okay with either.


	3. Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like father, like son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

“P-Please accept this!”

Tooru looked at the girl in front of him, he recognized her from one of his classes, and then looked back at the small box of sweets in her hands. She had long brown hair that was held up with a bow, soft blue eyes that flitted shyly to him, but her face was a deep shade of red. If he remembered correctly, her name was Inoue Natsumi, and she was a shy but kind girl who never really said much in class.

He didn’t really understand why she was so nervous, he was just another student after all, but took the offered sweets anyway. She was a genuinely nice girl and he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“I-I made them myself,” she fidgeted. “S-So I hope you like them, Iwaizumi-kun!”

“Really? That’s really nice of you, Inoue-chan,” he said. “Thank you.” And when he smiled, she did a quick bow and took off running down the hall, leaving a very confused Tooru behind. Before he could even process what happened, he felt an arm slung around his shoulder.

“Who was that, Iwa-chan?” Kousuke grinned but there was a certain degree of mischief to it.

“Oh, that was Inoue Natsumi. She’s in my literature class,” Tooru answered. “She gave me this box of sweets but she was acting kinda weird about it.”

Tooru thought about it. It wasn’t his birthday, was it? No, that wasn’t for another four months. Was it some kind of holiday? Hmm… not that he knew of. Was he missing something? That had to be it.

Kousuke let out a loud laugh, clutching at his sides. “Oh my gosh, Iwa-chan – you are so _dense!”_

“What’s so funny?” Tooru raised an eyebrow. He _definitely_ had to be missing something if Kousuke was reacting like this.

“Dude, she gave you that box of chocolates because she _likes_ you!”

Tooru blinked, allowing that information to sink in, and then his cheeks were dusted bright red. “W-What? No way!”

Kousuke poked his cheek, grinning wickedly. “Looks like someone else has a fan club of their own.”

“I don’t!”

“Well, you are the _ace_ of our volleyball team. In the top percentage of our class – next to me of course. You’re funny – sometimes. And you can be nice – not as nice as me though.”

Tooru smacked the back of his head. “You’ve made your point!”

“Ow!” Kousuke rubbed his head. “But even so, I’m not all that surprised she has a crush on you. You're a great person! There are actually a few girls here that do.” He sniffled, wiping away fake tears. “My precious Iwa-chan is growing up!”

Tooru brushed past his friend, face still red and no malice in his tone. “Shut up and let’s go home.”

Kousuke laughed and skipped after him.

While it was Friday, their coach had given them the day off from practice for doing so well against Okumura’s team, so Kousuke and Tooru walked home after school and usually stopped by a convenience store to pick up a few snacks on their way. But Tooru was really craving some milk bread and the Cat-fé was in the opposite direction. He stopped just outside of the store’s door. The thought to head that way crossed his mind more than once.

Kousuke paused. “What’s up?”

“I’m not really in the mood for anpan today,” Tooru said. “I think I’m gonna go get milk bread instead.” He started walking in the direction they came from.

Kousuke pointed inside the store, clearly not seeing what Tooru was getting at. “Um, they’ve got milk bread in here.”

“Yeah, but I get mine from a specific place,” Tooru turned back to look at him. “You’re more than welcome to tag along if you want.”

He only walked a few more steps and Kousuke was at his side again.

“Didn’t know you were such a picky eater, Iwa-chan,” he teased.

“I’m not.” Tooru shrugged. “I’m just particular about where I get my milk bread.”

“Is wherever you get it from really that great?”

“The best.”

“Where do you get it?

Tooru grinned. “Ever been to the Cat-fé?”

**

The overhead door bell jingled as they walked in, drawing the attention of a few patrons. And the group that was currently seated at the coffee bar, chatting with the employee behind the counter. The man behind the counter spared them a quick glance before returning back to his work but then he looked up again. And a familiar grin spread across the man’s face.

“Well, look who it is!” Kuroo said.

Tooru smiled. “Hi, Tetsu-chan.”

Bokuto beamed, wrapping Tooru up in a hug as soon as he approached. “My darling nephew! How I’ve missed you so!”

Tooru laughed as Bokuto mussed his hair. “Hi, Uncle Boku.” He hugged Suga tight and smiled at Akaashi. “Hi, Uncle Kou. Hi, Akaa-chan.” He waved at Hana who was currently in Akaashi’s arms. “What’re you guys all doing here?”

“Just hanging out,” Suga said. “What brings you here? You usually don’t stop by here after school. Is everything okay?”

Tooru nodded. “Yup! Just thought I’d stop by and get some milk bread.”

Kuroo put his hand to his chest. “You didn’t come here to see your favorite uncle? That cuts deep, Tooru.”

“Actually, I’m his favorite uncle. Stuff it, Kuroo,” Bokuto cut in.

This led into a playful banter between the two that Suga and Akaashi pretty much learned to ignore by now. However, Suga did turn to Tooru and lowered his voice with a smirk on his lips.

“Anytime those two ask, you’re gonna say that the kind and amazing Sugawara Koushi is your favorite uncle, right Tooru-chan?”

Tooru laughed. “Of course.”

“I heard that!” Kuroo and Bokuto said in unison.

Suga didn’t pay them any mind and instead looked at the boy beside Tooru. “How’s it going, Kousuke?”

Kousuke grinned. “Great!”

“You keeping Tooru in line?”

“You know it! Iwa-chan would be a lost cause without my expert guidance!” Kousuke laughed when Tooru dealt him a playful punch on the arm.

“So have you two been thinking about what high school you’re gonna attend?” Kuroo asked.

Bokuto scoffed. “We all know that they should go to Fukurodani because they’re fierce owls, and Tooru would fit right in! Besides, I was their ace! And I taught everything Tooru knows about spiking.”

“Okay, first off – no,” Kuroo deadpanned. “Iwaizumi taught Tooru everything he knows about spiking, you just taught him the cross spike, so don’t even try to play that card, Bo. Besides,” he smirked, arms folded across his chest with pride, “Nekoma is stronger academically _and_ they are the fated rival of Karasuno.”

“Karasuno?” Kousuke asked Tooru lowly.

“My Papa and Uncle Kou’s old school,” Tooru replied. “They went all the way to nationals.”

Kousuke’s eyes widened a bit. “That’s awesome.”

“Where do you two wanna go?” Kuroo asked.

“Well, I’ve actually been thinking of going to Nohebi,” Kousuke said. “They’re a pretty great school.”

“And I was just gonna follow Kousuke,” Tooru shrugged.

“No!” Bokuto and Kuroo shouted in unison, making the two boys jump a bit.

“Whatever you do – don’t go to Nohebi!” Kuroo said.

Comical tears started trailing down Bokuto’s face. “Go to Nekoma!”

Kuroo mimicked his friend. “Go to Fukurodani!”

“Pick whatever school you want,” they said in perfect unison again, “just don’t go to Nohebi!”

“Koutarou,” Akaashi said and it was surprising that he was even heard amidst all the distress, “you do realize that Hana can go to Fukurodani, right?”

Bokuto perked up immediately. “Oh yeah!” He skipped over to his daughter and took her in his arms, nuzzling her cheek with his as she giggled. “My precious little flower is going to be a fierce owl one day!”

Kuroo turned to Suga, batting his eyelashes expectantly.

Suga smiled at him, winking. (Little did Kuroo know, Suga had already started getting adoption paperwork ready so they could meet some foster children next week.) “Don’t you guys think it’s a little soon for them to be even thinking about what high school they’re going to attend? Let them enjoy junior high while they can.”

Bokuto and Kuroo grumbled. “I guess.”

“Oh, before I forget.” Kuroo went to the back kitchen and returned with two slices of milk bread, giving one to Tooru and smiling. “Here you go, kiddo. Just how you like it. Kenma was sure to make some just in case you stopped by since his shift ended earlier.”

“Thanks!” Tooru happily munched on it and looked at Kousuke. “Try it! It’s great!”

Kousuke took the other offered slice, taking a tentative bite and his face lit up like a Christmas tree. “That’s amazing!”

“Told ya!” Tooru said. He looked at the clock. “Shoot, we’d better get going.”

“Do you want us to give you two a ride?” Akaashi asked.

“No, we’ll be okay! Thanks though,” Tooru said.

Suga smiled. “You two be careful on your way home, okay?”

“We will!” Tooru waved. “Thank you! See you at dinner tomorrow!”

As soon as they were outside, Kousuke laughed. “Your family is so interesting. And they taught you volleyball, too! Wish mine were that cool.”

Tooru grinned. “Yeah, they are pretty great.”

They left the café and headed home, talking of volleyball and homework assignments, and eventually reached the corner of the street to go their separate ways and where they would meet again the next morning. Clouds had already rolled over the city by the time they made it there, dark and ominous with the promise of rain. Clouds that promised thunder.

Tooru looked up at the sky. _Great._

Kousuke stopped at the curb and turned to look at Tooru, breaking the latter from his train of thought but obviously knowing what was on Tooru’s mind. “You gonna be okay tonight?”

“Huh?” Tooru turned to him. “Oh yeah, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

Kousuke had found out about Tooru’s inherent fear of thunder during a sleepover at his house when they were eight. The forecast had called for light rain showers but nothing more, so Tooru had been super excited about going. When it started thundering, and Kousuke saw how spooked Tooru was, he tried some light teasing to perhaps add some levity to the situation.

But when Tooru started crying, all the teasing stopped and he was genuinely worried for his friend. Kousuke’s mom had offered to call Hajime to pick him up, but Tooru said he would be okay and Kousuke stayed by his side for the rest of the night.

“Iwa-chan…”

“I promise I’ll be fine. I can handle a little thunder.”

Kousuke sighed but nodded. “See you tomorrow?”

Tooru smiled. “Definitely.”

“Through thick and thin,” Kousuke held out his fist.

Tooru bumped it with his own. “Until the very end.”

They parted ways after that, and when Tooru was sure Kousuke wasn’t looking, he took off running towards his house. He made it inside just as the first droplets drizzled down and a low rumble passed overhead, making him tense. He jumped and covered his ears as another wave of thunder came through, back against the door and sliding down.

This was _so embarrassing!_ He was 12 years old, he shouldn’t still be scared of thunder!

He dropped his head in the gap between his knees and chest, eyes clenched shut as the rain poured harder over the house.

_It’s just thunder, Tooru… it’s just thunder. It can’t hurt you… it can’t hurt you…_

He could get through this! He could do this! He wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t afraid…

Two warm hands were on his shoulders and he lifted his head, meeting the kind and understanding green eyes of his father. Tooru moved his hands and smiled, only to be assaulted with another roll of thunder and he covered his ears again, shutting his eyes, and a whimper sounded at the back of his throat.

He trembled. “Dad…”

“I’ve got you, Tooru.” Hajime wrapped his arms around Tooru like he’d done for so many stormy nights, bringing him close. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

And once again, Tooru believed every word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Pechat for bringing this awesome idea between Bokuto, Kuroo, and Tooru to the table! I was laughing so hard as I read your comment and I absolutely had to implement it. I hope you don't mind!
> 
> Also 12 year old Tooru is becoming really, really fun to write so there's probably gonna be a lot more of him in the future than younger Tooru since that's mainly what _A Smile to the West_ focused on. Not to mention that I love writing the friendship he has with Kousuke.


	4. Rainfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Within the thunderclap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

For as long as Tooru could remember, Kousuke had been there. 

From losing their very first baby tooth to the terrifying first day of elementary school, Kousuke had always been there. They did everything together. Walking to and from school. Homework. Volleyball. They’d eaten dinner and spent the night at each other’s houses, huddling together under the blankets if it was a particular stormy night and exchanging fantastical stories of magic and dragons way past their bedtime. 

Kousuke was always there. Ever present. Tooru never really knew of a world where he wasn’t always at his side. Well, he was sure there _was_ a time in his life when Kousuke wasn’t around. 

They had met at age three and it was their first day of preschool, when Tooru was afraid and crying for his father because he didn’t want to be left alone with new people. Kousuke had been the first child to approach a still crying Tooru, curious, but smiled and asked if Tooru wanted to friends. They’ve been inseparable ever since.

And to be honest, Tooru was glad he didn’t really remember those days.

Knowing someone for that long, however, had its pros and cons. A pro? Tooru could always tell when Kousuke was lying. A con? Kousuke could always tell when _Tooru_ was lying. They were open books, still being written but already knowing the end of the story, understanding each other on a level that even their parents might not even understand. They were each other’s greatest rival, but also each other’s greatest supporter.

And today, Tooru was about to use it to his advantage.

Something was up with Kousuke. Tooru could tell that something was wrong when they met up to walk to school that morning. Tooru could see it in the smile that was just a tad too wide and a bit too bright. He could see it in the slightly quickened pace of Kousuke’s footsteps. He could hear it in the way Kousuke said “Iwa-chan” – too sweet and a too heightened lilt.

Tooru had an inkling of a suspicion. Kousuke’s parents argued sometimes, but Kousuke said it was never a huge deal and that they eventually worked it out. But arguments put strain on the household. And he could understand. Tooru hated it when his parents fought too, which wasn’t very often, but they never ended the day angry at each other.

Tooru could only hope that it had gotten better, but knowing Kousuke, he wasn’t going to make it easy to pry the information out of him.

“So are you going to tell me what’s wrong with you?” Tooru asked when they finally made it to school.

Kousuke smiled and it was still too wide, tugging up at the corners of his mouth just the right amount to be completely transparent. “I’m fine, Iwa-chan! Don’t worry!” He brushed some golden strands of hair from his eyes. “Come on, I don’t wanna be late.”

Tooru paused.

Kousuke never cared about being on time.

The day continued on like this – Tooru asking questions and Kousuke blatantly avoiding it – until after school when Tooru waited for Kousuke like he usually did so they could walk to practice together. Kousuke showed up, on time oddly enough, but didn’t really say anything on their way to the gym.

Tooru clutched onto his backpack strap. “Kousuke, are you –”

“I’m fine,” Kousuke said.

“I don’t appreciate being lied to.”

Kousuke spun on his heel to look at him. He had always been the taller of the two, only by a couple of inches, but the way Kousuke’s green eyes fell on him made Tooru feel shorter. The smile wasn’t there. The playful tone had vanished. The skip in his step had turned harsh. “And I don’t appreciate being bombarded with questions all day when I just want to be left alone!”

Tooru was quiet, eyebrows lifted in surprise, as his friend ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

“I’m sorry, I just –” Kousuke started. “Just forget it.” And he walked to the locker room.

The tension was building between them, slowly at first – like a trickle of water – and it became evident in practice after a number of missed combos between them during a four on four match. The tosses were either too high or too low, too fast or too slow, and Tooru felt like his entire equilibrium had been thrown off. It was like Kousuke didn’t care at all about what was going on. That wasn’t like his best friend at all.

“Hey,” Tooru approached Kousuke when they started cleaning up. “We need to talk.”

Kousuke finished sipping at his water bottle before looking at him. “I don’t want to.”

Tooru had planned on taking this somewhere private. Guess that went out the window.

“What the hell was going on out there with you today?” Tooru asked lowly, fists clenched at his sides. “It’s like you don’t even care!”

This drew the attention of their teammates, some stopping right in the middle of sweeping, but Tooru didn’t particularly care. The captain had pulled them aside during the break and said that they needed to handle this. And that’s exactly what Tooru intended to do.

“I’ve just got a lot on my mind, okay? It’s none of your concern.”

Tooru grabbed his wrist when he tried to walk away. “It becomes my concern when it’s affecting the team!” He conceded a bit. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like seeing _Kousuke_ like this. It left a heavy, unpleasant feeling in his gut. “You’re my best friend, Kousuke. And I’m worried.”

“Yeah? Well, you shouldn’t be.” Kousuke tore his arm away, acid in his words. “Just go back to your perfect, unassuming life and stay out of mine.”

Tooru stopped. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what it means!” Kousuke spat. “You will never understand! Sorry that not everyone can have a perfect home life like you, Tooru! Sorry that we can’t all be the son of a great ace!”

 _What?_ A perfect, unassuming life? Son of a great ace? Tooru didn’t understand where all this was coming from, why Kousuke would possibly be throwing this in his face. It didn’t make any sense! This fire, this fire in Kousuke’s eyes that was all brimstone and rage rather than the usual determination and quick wit… it scared Tooru.

“But I forget – he’s not really your dad, is he? Neither of them are.”

Tooru bristled and felt something in his chest snap, hard and unforgiving – like a cord – and he grabbed Kousuke by the collar of his shirt. Tooru had done well to keep his adoption status under wraps, within his school life and within himself. He knew that being adopted didn’t change the fact that he was Iwaizumi Hajime and Sawamura Daichi’s son. He _knew_ that he was theirs. And he was very proud to be theirs. But that didn’t mean that he enjoyed seeing the differences in the mirror every morning.

And for Kousuke, his best friend, to take that and twist it…

Well, it physically sickened him.

The captain pried Tooru off of Kousuke, holding him back, while the vice-captain handled Kousuke, and the gym was deathly silent.

“At least I can say this much,” Tooru growled, staring Kousuke dead in the eye, anger burning through him like adrenaline, fueling the bite in his words, the shaking in his limbs. “They’ve been better fathers to me than yours will _ever_ be to you!”

“You son of a –” Kousuke tried to take a step forward but was stopped by the vice-captain.

“All right, that’s enough!” the captain said, stepping in between them. “I told you two to handle this but it seems that has yet to happen. And I refuse to let this affect the team. Get your act together before the game on Friday or neither of you are playing – I don’t care how great an asset you two think you are. We _can_ win without you. And we will.” He gave them a warning glare. _“Don’t_ test me.”

Kousuke wrenched himself out of the vice-captain’s hold and headed to the locker room.

And Tooru stayed behind to help everyone clean up, ignoring the stares and whatever whispers that might be flittering about.

When he finally arrived home, he quite literally kicked off his shoes, not really caring where they hit or where they landed and threw his backpack down. He was so _angry_ and _how dare Kousuke say that_ and he could feel tears collecting in his eyes which only made him more upset because he _hated_ being an angry crier.

He stamped out into the living area, pausing when he saw Daichi on the couch, who looked up from the book he was reading and smiled.

“Hey, Tooru.”

Tooru tried to gather himself before speaking. But, as luck would have it, that didn’t work out so well. “W-Where’s Dad?” His voice broke with the lump in his throat, with the unshed tears.

“He went to go pick up takeout for dinner.” Daichi straightened into a more attentive position when he caught the glisten in the boy’s eyes, concern drawing his brow together. “Tooru, what’s the matter?”

Tooru bit his lip, sitting on the couch next to Daichi and falling against him, taking comfort in the secure hold as he fisted his hands in the man’s shirt. And let himself go. Every insecurity, every doubt, every negative thought he ever had about his adoption – it all came rushing back, overwhelming him as he broke ranks in Daichi’s shirt and cried.

He felt like a scared little kid again, finding out the truth for the first time with mud in his hair and tears in his eyes and begging for everything to be a lie.

He knew he was theirs, he knew he was theirs…

All he wanted was to look like them. He wanted his dad’s green eyes, or he could keep the dark shade of brown he currently had because his papa had brown eyes. He wanted their dark brown hair, and whether his kept its waviness or not didn’t really matter to him. He wanted their sun-kissed skin, maybe then he wouldn’t stand so much in contrast to them with his pale complexion.

And while he knew it was impossible, he wanted to be their biological child. He didn’t want people to have to take a second look to find similarities. He didn’t want people to have to ask if they were his parents. Because they _were._ He didn’t want to know that he came from some other man and woman.

Was that too much to ask for?

Daichi, while equally confused and concerned, held him tightly. “Tooru, what’s wrong?”

“I-I love you, Papa,” Tooru sobbed.

Daichi rubbed small circles in the boy’s back. “I love you too, Tooru.”

**

Tooru walked to school alone the next day.

He waited for a few minutes to see if Kousuke would show up, but he never did so Tooru went on ahead. He wasn’t trying to stress about it. After his breakdown last night, he explained to his parents what had happened between him and Kousuke at practice. And when Tooru told them that Kousuke had thrown the fact that he was adopted in his face, he could see that they were surprised, too. None of them expected that the bubbly pre-teen would ever stoop that low in an argument. 

And well, Tooru knew he wasn’t entirely innocent either. He dealt a low blow when he brought up Kousuke’s father, who, according to Kousuke, hadn’t really been around much as of late. He could’ve taken the high road and walked away. He could’ve not let it affect him. But he was angry.

And they were only human.

They didn’t meet up once all day. Not for lunch, not for practice. And Tooru tried to ignore how wrong that felt. Practice wasn’t as bad as it was yesterday. There weren’t any combo misses this time, if anything Kousuke was more on point with his tosses than ever, and anything that did miss earned Tooru a curt apology before they moved on.

And Tooru would just nod.

Kousuke’s mother came to pick him up. She offered to give Tooru a ride too, but he politely declined and opted to walk. Even if he was alone. Even if there were more storm clouds starting to roll in. Thankfully, Tooru made it home before it started to rain. And thankfully, there was no thunder. Yet.

“I’m home.”

“Hey,” Hajime smiled, bringing him into a hug and ruffling his hair. “How was your day?”

“It was good. Don’t have any homework tonight.”

“How’re things with Kousuke?”

“He avoided me all day.” Tooru gave a half-hearted shrug. “So I guess things could be worse.”

Daichi sighed. “Well, hopefully he’ll come around eventually and talk to you.”

Tooru nodded. He hoped so, too. “What’s for dinner?”

“Your choice,” Hajime said.

Tooru grinned. “Can we have udon?”

Hajime and Daichi laughed. They should’ve guessed as much.

After dinner, they opted to just be lazy for the rest of the evening and watch a movie, Tooru’s pick again, and the boy picked _War of the Worlds_ – the newer American version. He liked that one a lot, even if all the little girl did the whole time was scream. Then again, if he got paid all that money to yell at the top of his lungs, he’d do it in a heartbeat.

Tooru occupied his spot on the couch, effectively wrapped in a blanket now that it had started thundering and lightning streaked across the dark sky, his head in Daichi’s lap, and Hajime was just about to sit down next to Daichi when there was a knock at the door.

Tooru saw his parents exchange questioning looks. Who would be here this late?

Hajime answered the door. “Yukimura-san?”

And that brought Tooru and Daichi to their feet, at Hajime’s side instantly, and coming face to face with Kousuke’s very drenched and frazzled mother. 

“Is everything okay?” Hajime asked.

“I’m sorry for coming over unannounced but,” she panted, “is Kousuke here?”

Tooru felt his stomach drop.

“No, I’m afraid he isn’t,” Hajime said. “What’s going –?”

“H-He’s run away and I don’t know where he is!” She started crying. “I was sure that this is where he would go!”

Tooru didn’t even realize that he was moving. Didn’t even realize that he had pushed past them and ran out the door, ignoring his parents’ calls for him, and allowed his feet to carry him out into the rain. Kousuke had run away? What was he thinking? Was he even thinking at all? Probably not, he got impulsive sometimes.

Tooru barreled down the sidewalk, soaked and barefoot, the street lamps and lightning as his guide, the roars overhead as loud as his heart in his ears. He was scared to be out here, alone within the thunderclap, and he knew his parents were freaking out (he’d get an earful later), but he had to find Kousuke. 

He had to find his friend. His other half. His pillar.

“Kousuke!” he called out, voice drowned by the downpour. “Kousuke, where are you?”

He kept running, taking different turns and running down dark alleyways, shortcuts he and Kousuke had taken time and time again. And even if most, if not all, of the shops were closed, he went to each one to see if his friend was there. He checked the convenience store, the Cat-fé, the ice cream store and all they provided were empty doorways and darkened windows.

He paused to catch his breath under a street lamp, hair sticking to his face and made an attempt to push it back. His ankle was starting to give him hell, but he had to keep going. Where was he? He looked around, trying to recognize his surroundings. Okay, there was the bakery… a boutique… the park…

He stopped.

The park. The park they always used to play at when they were little! Kousuke had to be there, it was the only thing that made sense. There were about a dozen other parks spread out around Tokyo, and if Kousuke wasn’t at this one, then he’d try the next. He’d search all night if he had to.

He was cold, and every clap of thunder made him flinch, but he pressed on. Despite the limited light, Tooru could make out a dark form underneath a large tree. He approached carefully, praying to every deity that this was his friend. And sure enough, he could make out tufts of blonde hair in the darkness.

“Kousuke?”

The other boy lifted his head. He was soaked too, even if the tree provided a little shelter from the worst of it, and he looked at Tooru with sad eyes. “You came looking for me,” he said, the rain chattering over him. “Even after everything I said to you… you came.”

“Of course I came looking for you, idiot,” Tooru walked closer, crouching down. “You’re my best friend. I’m not gonna leave you out here alone.”

“’M sorry,” Kousuke muttered, though Tooru heard him clear as day. “I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t have hurt you like I did. I was angry,” he took a deep shuddering breath, “and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. And I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Tooru stood up, offering his hand. “Come on, we can talk about this later. Your mom’s worried sick about you so let’s go home.”

“No,” Kousuke shook his head, bringing his knees up to his chest and locking his arms around them. “I don’t want to go home.”

Tooru sighed softly and sat down beside his friend. “Why don’t you want to go home?”

Kousuke stayed quiet.

“Kou, I can’t help if you don’t talk to me.”

The other boy fidgeted for a moment, giving Tooru small side glances. “My dad left,” he said. “They’re getting a divorce.”

Tooru’s eyes widened.

“I overheard them talking. He said he wasn’t happy. And that,” Kousuke’s voice broke, “that he found someone else. That he has another kid.” He took a deep breath. “And then he left.”

“Kousuke –”

“It’s fine, though,” Kousuke continued. “I don’t need him. He was already cutting himself out of the picture anyway after all those nights he didn’t come home and left my mom worried sick. She sure as hell doesn’t need him.”

Tooru was quiet.

“Why wasn’t I good enough?” he asked, shoulders shaking and Tooru could tell it wasn’t from the fact he was drenched. “Why didn’t he want me?”

At that, Tooru pulled Kousuke into a hug, and the latter allowed himself to be held as he cried and trembled, tears mixing with the rain.

“Please don’t leave me, Iwa-chan,” Kousuke sniveled. “Please…”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Tooru said. “Through thick and thin, remember?”

_Until the very end._

Needless to say, they both got an earful when they were found, more out of worry than anger on their parents’ parts because _“What the hell were you thinking, Tooru?!”_ (his ears were still ringing, by the way), but Tooru and Kousuke could say that they were okay now. Better than okay, really. Even if they did catch a minor case of the sniffles.

And the game on Friday?

Well, it was the best game that they had ever played. Kousuke’s tosses soared with pinpoint accuracy, and Tooru was starting to see pockets in the opponents’ defense. He was starting to see the moment that Bokuto had been talking about – the one that can get you hooked on volleyball.

It was against one of the top four junior highs in Tokyo, and they met every block and every serve without fear. It was a tough match, and they knew it would be. But they charged ahead. If they won this game, then they’d advance in the tournament. That meant they’d play Okumura’s team again. And it was the third years’ last tournament they’d ever play in.

They had to win.

Third set.

Match point.

Tooru and his team were down by one with one set under their belt. Three more points would win them the game. They were exhausted, muscles and lungs pulling in protest, but they weren’t going to give this up. Not by a long shot. Tooru quickly adjusted his ankle brace, since it was starting to feel a little loose.

_The team with the better six is stronger._

He took a deep breath.

_Someone who can’t see the opponent standing right in front of him, can’t defeat the opponent that lies beyond._

He exhaled. “Focus.”

The other team served and Hamada received it, and Kousuke got in position with hands at the ready. Tooru was moving towards the net, and was already in the air by the time Kousuke catapulted the ball in his direction. He could see it, the open spot clear as day. And he brought it down with everything he had.

Only for it to be blocked almost effortlessly.

The ball came down, and Kousuke and two of his other teammates made an effort to try and save it, but they missed. And the referee’s whistle called the game.

Tooru had never felt so heavy when they gathered to hear their coach talk or when they lined up to thank the audience for attending. Like there was lead in his feet, and he could feel tears burn at his eyes.

He had missed.

Kousuke had delivered a perfect toss. And he had _missed._

He stopped. _How can I be the ace when I couldn’t even make that?!_

Kousuke came up behind him and slapped him on the back, almost making him stumble forward, before lining up. A few of his other teammates followed his example, giving softer pats this time, and Tooru wiped his face with his shirt and stood beside Kousuke.

He held his head high with his teammates, catching the proud look in his father’s eyes.

“Thank you very much!” they said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, did I say I loved writing Kousuke and Tooru's friendship? I meant I love tearing it down and building it back up. Happy early birthday Oikawa!
> 
> Also, don't listen to the Clannad soundtrack while having rain sound effects going in the background. Makes for a bad feels trip.
> 
> And get buckled in. This angst train is leaving the station. I'm not done with you guys yet.


	5. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just sleep, just dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

He didn’t know where he was.

He recognized some faces. A few names. Surroundings, not so much. His room – it was different. There were more alien and space posters on the wall, but the marine life ones were gone and the ceiling was void of the glow-in-the-dark stars he loved so much.

He was a lot taller than he remembered and it felt awkward to maneuver, long arms and legs and slender hands that didn’t belong to him. He was in different clothes, a blue and white volleyball uniform that wasn’t his but one he’d seen many times before on TV.

He was sitting on a bed that wasn’t his, and the overwhelming feeling that something bad was going to happen wouldn’t leave. Like prey in the presence of a predator. Every bone in his body was telling him to leave, to flee, but there wasn’t any point.

He’d be caught. Chewed up. Spit out. Then put back together all over again.

He knew this. But he didn’t know how.

The door opened to this foreign bedroom and a woman approached him. He could feel this body tense, tremble, feel its heart race. The fear coursing through its veins, keeping him rooted, bracing itself for whatever may come.

_“What the hell happened out there today?”_

There was silence, even though he was repeatedly asking what in the world this woman was talking about. And then his cheek stung, red and hot, as the woman demanded an answer he couldn’t give. He felt an apology leave his lips using a voice that wasn’t his, but the woman continued to yell at him even as tears stung his eyes and he was left with wanting nothing more than to disappear.

This continued, over and over – his face, his hands, his legs, covered in welts and bruises that he knew he’d have to hide. He begged her to stop. But it kept going. Over and over, in an endless loop, day and night, each minute ticking by like an hour. Over and over. Over and over.

Until he screamed.

**

There was a yell.

It startled Hajime from a dead sleep and it only took him a moment to gather his bearings before he and Daichi were out of bed and running down the hall to Tooru’s room, flicking on the bedroom light and seeing the boy sitting up, clutching his head and screaming and –

“Tooru!” Hajime rushed to the boy’s side, placing his hands on his shoulders.

“No, no, no!” Tooru shook his head, pulling at his hair. “Get away from me!” He wasn’t looking at Hajime, keeping his head low, eyes clenched shut. “No!”

“Tooru – its Dad! Look at me,” Hajime said, hoping that he’d be heard, and his son slowly seemed to unwind, coming to realization of his surroundings.

Tooru gradually lifted his head, hands easing from his hair, as he stared at Hajime with hazy, watery eyes. “Dad…?” his voice barely above a whisper, a little raspy, as he took in heavy breaths.

“I’m here, Tooru,” Hajime brushed back the sweat-dampened strands of hair and offered a small, comforting smile. “I’m here.”

Tooru fell into Hajime’s chest, clutching to him, crying softly as Hajime held him tight and stroked his hair and whispered comforting words. Daichi let out a deep breath, coming to sit down next to them, concern in his eyes and tension in his limbs. The room was silent for a long moment, enough to where they could hear Tooru’s even breaths as he was coaxed back into sleep, relaxing in his father’s arms.

“Another nightmare?” Daichi murmured.

“Yeah,” Hajime said.

Daichi sighed. “That’ll be the fourth one the last two weeks.”

Hajime could only nod. Tooru had been plagued with nightmares lately, waking up in the middle of the night yelling and crying, thrashing even as Hajime held him close, doing anything to try and get him to calm down. It didn’t happen every night. It was sporadic, unpredictable. This was, however, the first time that Tooru had practically fallen right back to sleep. Usually, it took him a good hour or two – sometimes more – until he was comfortable enough to close his eyes.

The fact that Tooru had slipped right back into unconsciousness almost immediately proved just how much these nightmares were affecting him. Tooru was exhausted. They all were. And when Tooru was asked about what the nightmares were about, he never remembered.

Hajime hated this. He hated seeing their son like this. Even though Tooru was growing up, he was still their _baby boy,_ and they were supposed to protect him.

But how could they protect him from something they couldn’t see?

Hajime gently eased Tooru out of his hold and back on the bed, hoping that his son would make it through the rest of the night in peace. And when they crawled back under the covers in their own room, Daichi seemed to know exactly what Hajime was thinking and held him close. Hajime wrapped his arms around Daichi and tried to melt into the warmth.

The next morning, they had overslept and Tooru grabbed a piece of toast in his hurry to get out the door, completely leaving his backpack behind. Hajime grabbed it and followed him out, catching sight of his son nearly barreling into a couple on the sidewalk who was walking their dog. He managed to skid to a stop but that ended up with him landing right on his rear.

“I-I’m so sorry!” Tooru said.

“Are you okay?” the woman asked as the man who could only be assumed to be her husband or boyfriend helped Tooru up.

He nodded. “Y-Yes.”

“Tooru, are you all right?” Hajime came over.

“I’m good,” Tooru smiled.

Hajime held out the backpack. “You forgot this.”

“Oh man, that would’ve been bad. My math homework is in there,” Tooru took it, slinging it on his shoulders. “Thanks, Dad. See you later!” He grinned and was off again, waving at Kousuke who was standing at the street corner.

“Iwa-chan, what took you so long?” Kousuke asked, voice distant.

“Sorry! Overslept,” Tooru said as he caught up.

Hajime waited until they were out of sight before turning to the couple and offering an apologetic smile. “Sorry about that. We were in a bit of a rush this morning.”

“Not a problem.” The man said, and then seemed to be contemplating something, staring at Hajime for a moment. “You wouldn’t happen to be Iwaizumi Hajime, would you?”

Hajime stopped, the smile inching off his face. “Um, yeah. That’s me. And you are…?”

“Oh, sorry – where are my manners? I’m Akiyama Ichirou. We went to high school together,” he said.

Hajime tried to put the name and face to a distant memory of his high school days. It seemed like forever ago. He thought about it some more. Dark brown hair and eyes. Glasses. Where had he seen this guy before?

“I tried out for the volleyball team,” Akiyama said.

And that was the tip-off. Hajime remembered seeing a lanky first year try out his second year of high school but ended up not making it. Instead, he ended up melding into Oikawa’s cluster of fans. Hajime never really thought anything of it. There were a lot of players that admired Oikawa – himself included.

“Oh yeah, I remember now,” Hajime said, scratching the back of his head. “Sorry I didn’t recognize you.”

Akiyama gave a carefree wave and smiled. “High school was a long time ago, I’m not offended.” He looked at the woman beside him. “This is my wife, Nariko.”

She smiled, curling a wave of brown behind her ear. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Iwaizumi-san.”

“Likewise,” he said.

“Your son’s adorable. What’s his name?” 

“Tooru,” Hajime replied.

“How old is he?” Akiyama asked.

“Twelve.”

“Wow, time flies. We’ve got a son his age, too. He goes to same junior high. We just moved in down the street and it’s his first day so he’s nervous. Maybe he and Tooru can meet up sometime and hang out.”

Hajime nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”

“Well, we’d better run. It was nice catching up with you, Iwaizumi-san. We’ll see you around,” Akiyama waved and they were off, their dog trotting beside them.

Daichi poked his head out from the front door. “Please tell me you gave Tooru his backpack in time.”

Hajime gave a thumbs-up and grinned.

**

“Having trouble staying awake, Iwaizumi?”

Tooru lifted his head, a groggy film over his eyes as he took in his surroundings, most importantly his teacher standing right in front of him with a disapproving stare, and suddenly straightened. He turned bright red as he felt everyone’s eyes on him. “N-No, sensei! Sorry!”

His classmates laughed quietly.

“See me after class.” And then she walked back to the front of the room to continue the lecture.

Tooru sighed with a nod.

Kousuke waited until she was out of earshot before turning to Tooru. “Dude, what’s with you? You never fall asleep in class, that’s my job.”

Tooru rubbed his eyes. “Nothing, just a little tired.”

“You sure?” Kousuke whispered. “This is the third time you’ve conked out right in the middle of a lesson. You sick or something? You’ve gotta be sick.”

Tooru shook his head. “I just haven’t been getting a whole lot of sleep lately, that’s all. I’m fine.”

“Well, maybe you should –”

“Yukimura,” the teacher said, still writing on the chalkboard. “I hate to interrupt, but is there something you’d like to share with the class?”

“No, sensei!” Kousuke squeaked.

“Then perhaps your conversation with Iwaizumi can wait until lunchtime, right?”

“R-Right! Sorry, sensei.”

Tooru just rested his head on the heel of his hand and attempted to pay attention by doodling in the corner of his notebook. Most of his notes were illegible anyway (he’d get them from Kousuke later), so he spent most of his energy trying to stay awake.

When Tooru was finished talking to his teacher after class, Kousuke was waiting for him by the door so they could head to their usual spot on the roof for lunch.

“What’d she say?” he asked, falling in stride next to his friend.

“Just wanted to make sure I’m doing okay,” Tooru answered. “Like you said, I never fall asleep in class. And she doesn’t want my grades to suffer.”

“You staying up watching volleyball games all night or something?”

Tooru didn’t want to tell him about the recurring nightmares he’d been bombarded with for the last week. His parents had asked what the nightmares were about, but Tooru always told them that he never remembered because he didn’t want them to worry. Truth is, he remembered almost every detail. There were some mornings he could still feel the back of his hands stinging from the nonexistent blows.

Kousuke had enough on his plate with his father ditching them, he didn’t need to deal with this too. 

“Yeah,” Tooru nodded. “Yeah, that’s it.”

If Kousuke picked up on the very blatant lie, he didn’t say so. “Try to get more sleep, okay?” he put his bag down when they reached the roof and pulled out his bento box. “It’s weird seeing you all bummed out like this. Where’s the Iwa-chan that’s grumpy and likes to throw things at people?”

Tooru pulled out his own boxed lunch. “He’s about to show up again if you’re not quiet in the next three seconds.” He made a point to bring attention to the volleyball still in his backpack.

Kousuke answered by stuffing his mouth full of food.

Tooru opened his boxed lunch, staring at the assortment of his favorite foods, but his stomach rolled with uneasiness instead of hunger. He sighed and grabbed his chopsticks and started eating anyway.

“Hey, is it okay if I crash at your place tonight?” Kousuke asked after a bout of silence.

“Hm?” Tooru paused, a glob of rice almost to his lips. “What’s up?”

“Well, _he’s_ finally coming back to pack up his crap – a whole week later, the asshole – and my mom doesn’t want me there. I don’t want to leave her there with him alone but she’s not budging. I would’ve asked sooner but I literally found out this morning. Would your parents mind?”

Tooru nibbled on his bottom lip for a bit before smiling. “You don’t even have to ask.”

Kousuke grinned. “Awesome! Thanks!”

Tooru only nodded and continued eating. _Please don’t let me have any nightmares tonight._

The day wore on almost agonizingly slow, but Tooru was a bit more awake during practice now that his blood was pumping and he was actually doing something he enjoyed. He liked his math class well enough. But nothing would ever compare to volleyball. It was his lifeline. His passion. The very essence that flowed through his veins. He dreamed of becoming nothing more than a national volleyball player like Kageyama and Hinata and travelling the world.

A new captain had been chosen after their tournament, and it was a little strange to think that here pretty soon he, Kousuke, and the other first years on the team would be second years. He’d turn thirteen in July. And for reason that he couldn’t explain, there would be times where Tooru would get serious déjà vu – like he’d been through all this before. In a different town, at a different school, with different people. 

It wasn’t frequent enough where it hindered him, and oftentimes he just ignored it, but there would be moments during a game where he’d have to set because Kousuke received, and instead of seeing his teammate, he’d see a guy with spiked black hair that resembled a turnip or another guy with short, pinkish hair. 

But he saw himself tossing to his dad the most.

Again, it didn’t happen very often. It’d only be a glimpse, never lasting more than a second, but when it did it left him feeling a little weirded out with an odd sense of familiarity and _comfort._ Like he’d done this a thousand times, over and over again. Like tossing was as natural as spiking.

But as much familiarity as it brought, he’d rather spike than set. _That_ he was more comfortable with than anything else – serving, receiving, blocking, and even tossing. Something just felt right when he was going up to that net, facing three blockers head on, exploiting weak spots, waiting for that moment where he’d see why exactly he loved volleyball so much. 

Plus, it was one of the connections he shared with his dad. It showed that he had every right to carry the Iwaizumi name. And he wouldn’t dare give that up. 

The coach ended practice about an hour early especially since they ended up staying late for most of the week, but as tired as Tooru was (he was practically falling asleep as he swept the floors), he didn’t want to go to bed. Maybe if Kousuke was there, it wouldn’t be so bad.

He hoped.

He prayed.

There was a sharp clap on his back that pulled him out of his thoughts and Kousuke was looking at him, a smirk on his face.

“Yo, space cadet – come back to Earth!” the blonde teased.

Tooru gave a soft smile. “Sorry.” He continued toweling his hair off from his shower and changed into clean shirt and shorts. He left the locker room with his friend close behind.

The sun was just starting to set, but instead of the gentle magentas and pinks he loved so well, the sky was almost a deep, unsettling red. Tooru kept his eyes on the pavement as they made the walk home. Nothing was said between them for a while, just the crunch of gravel beneath their shoes, until Kousuke couldn’t take it anymore.

“Hey, you sure you’re okay?” he asked, trepidation in his tone.

Tooru nodded. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not lying. I’m just tired. I haven’t been sleeping well, I told you that.”

Kousuke sighed. “Well, then don’t stay up all night watching volleyball matches. It’s not good for you.” He sifted through his backpack and huffed. “Dammit, I think I forgot my book in the locker room. Hopefully they haven’t closed it up yet.”

“Want me to go with you?” Tooru asked.

“No, we’re not very far. I’ll be back in a flash!” he bolted in the other direction.

Tooru nodded, leaning against one of the buildings, as Kousuke turned the corner and was out of sight. He waited, bouncing on the tips of his toes, until a stray cat passed by and it nuzzled his leg. He smiled and knelt down to pet it.

“Hey.” He laughed softly when it purred and meowed at him. “You’re cute.” Maybe if he begged enough, he’d be able to convince his parents to let him keep it. Him? Her? Was it a boy or a girl? He couldn’t tell. All he knew is that it was cute, and he wanted to take it home.

“Tooru?” a voice said beside him.

He looked up. And immediately froze.

There was a woman with brown hair and brown eyes staring at him, and he’d never seen her before in his life. But this feeling, this overwhelming terror that enveloped him… was all too well-known. His heart thundered in against his ribcage, his blood rushed in his ears, and he couldn’t move. Couldn’t _breathe._

She smiled at him, and it sent chills down his spine. “Hi, Tooru.”

He stood straight up, fear pumping through his veins, and the cat ran away.

And he didn’t know how he knew her name, but he did.

_Sayuri._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you that I wasn't done with you lovelies yet.
> 
> This will most likely be in two or three parts (I'm predicting three) and you will all see the exact reason why I shouldn't binge watch Law & Order: SVU ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> EDIT: Think of the next two or three parts as a "what-if" situation. I'm testing something out.


	6. Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The things that we have lost inside the lines between.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

“Look at you.” She placed her hand to his cheek, stroking it gently. It _burned._ “You’ve gotten so big.”

He finally regained some feeling in his legs and backed away, each step feeling like a mile, clutching onto the strap of his messenger bag until his knuckles whitened. Why was he so afraid? He’d never seen this woman before in his life! Why couldn’t he move? Literally every bone in his body, every fiber was screaming at him to run. But he couldn’t. _Why?_

She looked confused, even going so far as to tilt her head a bit. “What’s the matter, Tooru? I’m not going to hurt you.”

“S-Stay away from me.” His back hit the cold brick wall. Tooru felt like his throat had been dried and stuffed with cotton. He broke out into a cold sweat, starting to tremble. She was in front of him now, just staring. In fascination. In contempt.

She pouted a bit, sauntering towards him. “You don’t recognize me? That hurts my feelings, Tooru – really.”

_A predator cornering its prey._

“Then again,” she continued, “we only met once when you were a baby. So I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised.” She pressed her hand to his cheek again. “You don’t know how long I’ve been looking for you. Waiting until I could see you again. You’ve grown so big. And handsome.”

He had to get out of here. _Now!_

“Yo, Iwa-chan!” Kousuke ran up, slowing down when he saw Sayuri. “Oh? Who’s this?”

Tooru wanted to answer, he truly did, but the words wouldn’t leave him.

“I’m an old friend of the family,” Sayuri replied, smile sweet.

Kousuke glanced at Tooru only for a moment before turning his attention back to the woman. “Huh, funny. Never seen you before,” he mused and then smiled. “Anyway, we should probably get going. Our parents are expecting us soon.”

“I understand,” she nodded.

Kousuke slung his arm around Tooru’s shoulders, moving them down the path home again.

“Tell your father I said hi, okay Tooru?” she called after them.

Tooru tensed, and he knew Kousuke noticed, he knew that Kousuke would ask questions, but he didn’t dare spare a second glance over his shoulder and allowed his friend to guide him along the sidewalk. And the further they moved, the more he could feel the air enter his lungs again, the more he could breathe. 

The air was coming in. Inhale. Exhale. Easy. Like clockwork. Tick tock. Tick tock. In and out. In and out. One, two, three. One, two, three. _Breathe, dammit._

“Who the hell was that?” Kousuke finally asked.

“I… I don’t know,” Tooru answered, voice quiet. “I don’t know her.”

_But I’ve seen her._

Kousuke huffed. “Well, she seemed to know you pretty well.” He looked back over his shoulder. “And your dad. Are you okay? You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

Tooru nodded. “I’m fine.” He could breathe again. He could move. He counted that as okay, all things considered.

“You should tell your dads about this,” Kousuke said. “I don’t like that woman. She set off every red flag in the book.”

Tooru nodded. He had to come clean. About everything. Because that woman was the one he saw in his nightmares. Screaming at him. Hitting him. Telling him he’d never amount to anything. Demanding perfection as the ball soared from the slender hands that weren’t his own. They were affecting him so much more than any normal nightmare would. It was on a much bigger scale.

He had to tell them. He had to tell them.

When they reached the street corner where they usually parted ways, Tooru told Kousuke that he’d be fine enough to go on his own and that he should go home and get his overnight necessities and school uniform for tomorrow. Kousuke was skeptical, insistent, but Tooru promised that he’d be okay so the other left with promises that he’d be right over.

Tooru nodded and trekked the rest of the way home. He slid off his shoes once he was inside, announcing his arrival, and was greeted the enticing aroma of dinner and warm hugs from his parents. He held them tight, undeniable safety washing over him. He was safe here. She couldn’t get to him here.

But outside? In his own head? Well…

“Hey, Dad? Papa?” he said.

They turned to look at him.

“Can, uh, is it all right if Kousuke stays the night?” He stared at his rice ball for a moment. “His dad is going over to his house later and his mom said she doesn’t want Kousuke there.”

“Of course,” Daichi said.

“We never mind,” Hajime agreed. “We’ll make extra food for him, too.”

Tooru smiled. “Thanks. I know they appreciate it.”

After Kousuke’s dad left, Kousuke had been spending as much time as he could at Tooru’s house. His mom was staying at his grandparents’ house, and while Kousuke wanted to be there for his family during this difficult time, he just wanted to forget about the whole thing. Even if it was only for a few more hours after school. Hajime and Daichi had been very supportive throughout the whole ordeal, telling Kousuke that their door was always open if he needed anything.

Tooru doesn’t think he’d ever seen Kousuke cry so much before. 

He sat on the couch for a while, watching his parents make dinner and throw sticky rice at each other with teasing grins, and he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He really did have a great home life. His parents loved each other, and they loved him. And he loved them. There was no tension, no worries. Did he really want to mess that up with some silly nightmares? No matter how often they left him screaming in the middle of the night? No matter if they left him worried about what sleep would bring?

Did he really want to ruin that? A part of him really didn’t. A part of him said it wasn’t worth it, that they’d worry unnecessarily and he shouldn’t do that to them. But another part begged him to say something. To confide in his parents because they’d always been there for him and they always would be. It said that he didn’t want to go through this. 

_Again._

No, he had to tell them. That woman – _Sayuri_ – was real. She was a real person, not some entity lurking in darkest corner of his mind, and he had felt threatened by her. But how did she know him? How did she know his dad? Well, she did say that they met once when he was a baby, so of course Tooru wouldn’t remember. But his dad would. His dad definitely would. Wait, what if she was lying? She could’ve been lying straight through her teeth and there would’ve been no way Tooru would know.

He exhaled. It was now or never, and as much as he didn’t want to revisit the horrors that the night often brought, he knew he’d have to speak up sooner or later. Preferably before he shattered.

“Dad? Papa?” Tooru said past the lump in his throat, the heaviness in his voice. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Hajime said, joining Tooru at the table in the seat to the right while Daichi took up the left. “What’s up?”

“Um, well. It’s about my nightmares,” Tooru said. He set the rice ball down on the plate. He wasn’t very hungry for it anymore. “I lied to you before.”

“What do you mean?” Daichi asked.

Tooru rubbed his hands together, staring at them. “I remember them. I just told you I didn’t because I didn’t want you to worry. But I remember everything. And –” There was a knock on the door.

Daichi answered it. “Hi, Kousuke.”

“Hi!” Kousuke said, stepping inside. “Did Iwa-chan already…?”

“Yeah, I already asked and they’re fine with it,” Tooru smiled.

Kousuke grinned at Hajime and Daichi. “Thank you both so much! I really, really appreciate it.”

“It’s no problem at all, Kousuke. You’re always welcome here,” Hajime said and looked back to Tooru.

Tooru met his eyes, keeping his voice low. “Can we talk about this tomorrow? When, uh, when Kousuke isn’t…”

Hajime nodded, understanding, and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Sure thing. Dinner will be ready soon.”

Tooru hopped off the chair, going to his room with Kousuke as they talked about the new dragon fighting game that just came out. Apparently it was supposed to be really fun, and Kousuke was hoping that he’d have enough of his allowance saved up to get it.

“Did you tell your parents about the weird lady?” Kousuke asked once the door was shut.

Tooru’s hand tightened on the doorknob. Don’t worry him more than he already is. He spun on his heel and smiled the best he could. “Yeah! Yeah, I told them. They said they’d be looking into it.”

A slow minute ticked by, but Kousuke finally nodded. “Good.” He rummaged through his bag. “Anyway, about that game.”

And Tooru focused solely on the conversation.

**

_There were the telltale sounds of a train running along the tracks. People chattering._

A lot of people for the 9:00 train, _he thought with a voice that wasn’t his. He looked at a cellphone that wasn’t his, and it was showing a message from “Kou-chan” – who the heck was that?_

You’re coming home after practice, right? _it said. It was received at 8:00._

_He could feel his fingers about to type when the train shook and the people around him screamed as he held onto the railing. Tires shrieked and suddenly the train was on its side as it continued barreling down the tracks. The lights flickered out and there was nothing but darkness and agony._

“Tooru! Tooru, wake up!”

His eyes shot open and he was greeted by the glow-in-the-dark stars above him along with Kousuke’s green eyes alight in concern. He was in his room? He wasn’t on a train? He didn’t… he didn’t die? Tooru sat up, heart racing, breathing erratic, sweat trailing down the side of his face.

It was only a dream?

It felt so real.

“Hey, are you okay?” Kousuke sat on the bed. “You were crying in your sleep.”

Tooru touched his cheek and sure enough, there were tears. He wiped his face quickly, sniffling a bit, and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” He exhaled. “Don’t worry.”

“Stop lying to me,” Kousuke said.

Tooru looked at him.

“I know you’ve been lying to me.” Kousuke continued when Tooru didn’t answer. “You haven’t been staying up watching volleyball matches, have you?”

Tooru shook his head. “No. I’ve been,” he paused, “I’ve been having horrible nightmares.”

“About what?”

“That woman we saw? She’s uh,” he absently scratched at his arm, “she’s in them.”

Kousuke raised an eyebrow. “Hold on, I thought you said you don’t know her.”

“I don’t know her,” Tooru said. “But I’ve seen her. And she does… she does terrible things.”

“Like what?”

Tooru swallowed thickly. “She abuses me – beats me.” He stared at the back of his hands, somehow waiting for the bright red welts to show up at any moment. “She says that I’ll never amount to anything if I don’t make the national volleyball team. She makes me set over and over and over… and if I don’t get it right…” He clenched his fists. “She hits me.”

Kousuke listened as Tooru continued, a range of emotions splintering across his face. “And this dream you had just now? Was she in it, too?”

Tooru shook his head. “No. This one was completely different.”

“How so?”

“I was on a train going somewhere – I don’t know where – and then the train crashes and there’s so much screaming and… and,” Tooru trailed off, “and I died.” He held his head in his hands.

“Jeez,” Kousuke said. “Those are some messed up dreams, no wonder you’ve been sleeping in class. Honestly, you deserve it. I’ll take great notes and do your homework.”

Tooru let out a small laugh. Kousuke always knew how to add some levity to a situation.

“Have you told your parents?” he asked.

“No,” Tooru said.

Kousuke’s eyes widened a bit. “What? Why?”

Tooru gave a half-hearted shrug. “I didn’t want them to worry.”

“They’re parents – that’s what they do!” Kousuke said. “They’re always gonna worry even if you tell them not to! You’ve gotta tell them first thing when you get home from school tomorrow, okay? Tell them everything.” He put his hands on Tooru’s shoulders. “As your best friend, I am telling you to tell them.”

Tooru nodded. “I’ll talk to them. I promise.”

“Good,” Kousuke said. “And my mom is picking me up after practice tomorrow so you’re riding with us.”

“It’s okay, Kou, really. I can walk,” Tooru protested.

“Nope, I am not letting you walk home by yourself with that crazy woman around,” he said and shushed his friend when he tried to protest. “And I am not taking no for an answer. Now, let’s get some rest okay? It’s late and I need my beauty sleep.”

Tooru smiled and laid back down as Kousuke settled back on the futon. A film of silence settled over them and Tooru felt his eyes beginning to shut, blissful sleep playing at the edge of his mind. Tomorrow, he would go to school, take his literature test, play volleyball and then –

“Also Iwa-chan, if you need me to hold your hand because you’re scared then just say so.”

 _“Shut up,_ Yukimura.”

**

Tooru was having a great day. He nailed his literature test, got an A on his previous essay, and was on a roll at practice. His spikes, even his jump serves. He had never felt as good about his movements as he did today, even Kousuke was surprised. He was ready to talk to his parents tonight. He was ready to get this all off his chest and then everything would be peachy keen again.

“Dude, you were on fire!” Kousuke pumped his fists in the air. “It was insane!” He deflated a bit at the empty parking lot. “I wonder where Mom is… Hopefully she didn’t get caught up with that asshole.”

“Maybe she’s running a bit behind?” Tooru offered. “We _do_ usually walk home, you know. She’s not used to having to pick us up.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Kousuke said. “She does have a lot on her mind. I’m gonna see if the captain will let me use his phone to call her. Mine’s dead. You don’t have yours, do you?”

Tooru scratched the back of his head, an apologetic smile tugging at his lips. “Didn’t think I’d need it since I was riding with you. Sorry.”

“Not a big deal. I’m gonna go get the captain. Come on.” He headed back inside.

Tooru nodded, following Kousuke but pausing when he felt something nuzzle against his leg. He looked down and smiled when he saw the same cat from yesterday purring and meowing at him. “Hey there.” He bent over and picked her up and laughed when she continued to purr and rub against his face. “You like me well enough, don’t you?” He grinned when she mewled at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He headed for the door to go back inside with the cat in his arms, until he was pulled in a strong hold and a rag was placed over his mouth. The cat yowled and scratched the offender across the face, loosening his hold enough for Tooru to get free.

Tooru made it only a few steps before his legs gave out on him, his vision blurring.

And then everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, I'm gonna say this now: this arc _will_ be the angstiest part of the entire story. It won't get any worse than this, I promise. It took a much darker route than originally planned (my friend was helping me sort through my ideas and it was her idea I actually go through with this) I had to get the angst out of my system though. I've had this idea for a while. Pechat, you read my mind! 
> 
> It's 3 AM, I have an entire box of glaze donuts and no regrets ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> EDIT: I didn't add this in the previous chapter but think of this as more of a "what-if" situation. I love my precious babies dearly and I honestly wanted to test something out so welcome to the deep, dark recesses of my mind.


	7. Porcelain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lay it to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

The room smelled funny.

Like over sterilization and of medicine.

He opened his bleary eyes and the room was dark, but he could tell he was lying on something. It definitely wasn’t the comfiest, but it wasn’t the cold, hard ground either. Where was he? What happened? He tried to sit up and lethargy pulled at him, beckoning him to lie back down – which he heeded.

He rubbed his head. “Ugh…”

“Tooru?”

He turned towards the sound of the voice. Who…?

A bright light was suddenly turned on and he cringed, blinking rapidly to adjust and tried to make out the features of the person staring at him. When all he could manage was a blur, he realized he didn’t have his glasses. Was that the reason for this splitting headache?

The person near him inched forward a bit and their face cleared up instantly. And Tooru felt his heart drop to his stomach.

“Dad,” he said.

Hajime sighed heavily in relief, placing his head gently against Tooru’s, telltale tears in his eyes. “Oh thank God you’re okay.”

Tooru, despite feeling sluggish, wrapped his arms around his father and reveled in the warm embrace. He was safe… he was okay. Everything was all right.

“How’re you feeling?” Hajime asked after a moment.

“I have a headache,” Tooru answered. “And I’m kinda tired, but other than that, I’m fine.” He touched at the bandage on his cheek. “What happened though?”

“That’s what we’re hoping you’ll be able to tell us.” A new voice was in the room now, causing them to turn and there was a short man with light brown hair and eyes standing next to a man with grey hair and green, cat-like eyes that absolutely towered over them standing at the foot of his bed.

And Tooru thought his dad was tall. 

He could see their faces a bit, still a little blurry, but it was suffice.

Daichi was standing next to the new duo. “Hajime, Tooru – this is Detective Yaku Morisuke and his partner, Haiba Lev. They specialize in cases like these. Kuroo called them.”

Yaku smiled. “Iwaizumi Hajime. It’s been a while.”

Tooru looked between his father and the detective. They knew each other? How? Tooru’s never seen this guy in his life.

There was the light of recognition in Hajime’s eyes. “Yes, it has been.”

“It’s a shame that we have to meet again under such circumstances, but I guess that’s the luck of the draw,” Yaku released a soft sigh, approaching the side of the bed and smiling at Tooru. “Hi there. You must be the amazing Iwaizumi Tooru I’ve heard so much about.”

Tooru could see the man’s face better now and his eyes widened a fraction. “You’ve heard about me?”

Yaku smiled. “Of course. Kuroo is always bragging about you. About how his little munchkin is a star volleyball player. An ace.”

“I was the ace of the Nekoma volleyball team, too!” Lev chimed in with a Cheshire grin, looming behind Yaku all too easily.

“Really?” Tooru marveled, easing himself into a sitting position. He still felt like he weighed a thousand pounds but he managed.

“He was the _self-proclaimed_ ace of our volleyball team,” Yaku corrected and paid no mind as Lev instantly deflated like a balloon. “I was the libero.”

“That’s so cool!”

Yaku smiled. “When all this is all over, Lev and I will attend one of your volleyball games. How does that sound?”

“That’d be awesome!” Tooru grinned. “Thank you!”

“But first, how’re you feeling?”

Tooru shrugged. “I have a headache and I’m a little tired, but I’m fine.”

“And that bandage?” Yaku pointed to his cheek. “I’m guessing that’s from where you fell.”

Tooru brushed his fingers against it, the memory of scraping his face against the pavement a little distant. “Yeah, I think so.”

Yaku nodded. “So do you feel up to answering some questions? That way we can figure out who did this to you and give everyone some peace of mind.”

Tooru looked at Hajime and Daichi for a moment and then back at Yaku and Lev. “I’m up for it.”

Yaku smiled as Lev pulled out a small notepad and pen. “Fantastic.” He sat on the edge of the bed. “So, Tooru – what all do you remember from last night?”

“Um,” Tooru scratched the back of his head, trying to conjure what little might’ve remained before he was grabbed. “Well, I remember waiting outside the gym for Kousuke’s mother to come pick us up.”

“Who’s Kousuke?” Yaku asked with Lev scribbling on the notepad at his backdrop.

“My best friend. We play volleyball together.”

Yaku nodded. “All right. Do you often go home with him?”

“Yeah, every day.” 

“And how long were you waiting for Kousuke’s mother?”

“Not that long,” Tooru said. “We thought she’d be there by the time we were done, but she wasn’t so Kousuke went back inside the gym to see if he could borrow the captain’s phone so he could call her.”

“And I’ve been told you usually walk, but you asked your father to give you a ride to school yesterday morning and Kousuke’s mother was supposed to pick you up after practice. Any particular reason for that?”

Tooru paused, looking down and picking at his nails a bit. “Um, well…” He swallowed the dryness in his throat. “There was this woman yesterday. She, uh, she was acting… weird.”

_For lack of better word,_ he thought.

“What woman, Tooru?” Hajime asked this time.

“I was going to tell you about her the other day,” Tooru started, “but then Kousuke came over and I wanted to talk to you and Papa about it alone. So I was gonna do it when I got home from school yesterday.”

“This woman – what did she look like?” Yaku questioned.

“Brown hair and brown eyes,” Tooru said.

“Do you know her?”

Tooru shook his head. “No.” He waited a breath. “But I’ve seen her before.”

“Where?”

Tooru hesitated, trading a glance with his father who nodded at him. “In my dreams.” He ran a hand through his hair, limbs still feeling akin to jelly. “Well, they’re more like nightmares.”

“She’s shown up in your nightmares?” Yaku repeated.

Tooru nodded. “Yeah. I-I know it sounds crazy but it’s true! You’ve gotta believe me!”

“It’s okay, Tooru,” Daichi said, now standing next to Hajime and smiled reassuringly. “We believe you.”

Tooru scanned all of the adults in the room for any sense of faltering. He knew how farfetched this all sounded. Hell, he had a hard time believing it himself. Until he saw _her._ “You do?”

Yaku smiled. “Yes. We want to hear your side of things, okay? So as long as you’re being honest, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Tooru nodded.

“Now, these nightmares – what exactly happens?”

The boy stared at the back of hands, the stinging returning – unwanted. He clenched his fists. And explained. He told them everything – the demands for perfection, the punishment dealt when he didn’t achieve it. The endless loops. How absolutely terrified he was of her. And the more he talked, the more he saw his father grow paler and paler.

“She said… she said that she’d been looking for me. Waiting for me. So she could see me again,” Tooru said finally, clutching onto Hajime’s hand.

“Did she tell you anything else?” Yaku asked.

“Yeah,” Tooru said. “To tell my dad that she said hi.”

“She didn’t happen to give you her name, did she?”

Tooru shook his head. “No, but… I know it.” He sighed. “Her name is Sayuri.”

“Do you think Sayuri is the one who attacked you?”

“No, they felt – I don’t know – taller. Bigger. Like a man. They were strong.”

Lev jotted that down.

“Did you see their face? Anything at all about them that you can remember?” Yaku pressed.

Tooru hummed in thought. “Well, I was holding a cat, and I was gonna take it home and ask my parents if I could keep it, but it got scared when they grabbed me and I think it scratched them. That’s how I got away.”

More notetaking in the back.

Yaku nodded, seeming to ruminate on this information for a bit before turning to Hajime and Daichi. “Thank you, Tooru. Iwaizumi-san, Sawamura-san – can I talk to you for a moment outside?”

“Sure thing,” Daichi said.

Hajime mussed the boy’s hair. “We’ll be right back, okay?”

Tooru nodded.

Yaku looked at his partner. “Lev?”

Lev gave him a thumbs-up. “Got it.” He directed his attention to Tooru, sat down in one of the chairs and smiled. “So tell me about your volleyball team.”

And Tooru felt his mood lift.

**

Hajime clicked the door shut behind him, glad that Lev was keeping his son distracted, and Suga said that he’d be by to check on him later. He was doing his absolute best to keep his cool, but he’d be lying if Tooru’s confession didn’t shake his very core.

“Well,” Yaku said, “that was one of the more interesting testimonies I’ve heard in my twelve years of experience.”

“You don’t believe him?” Hajime asked with more bite than he intended. He would’ve apologized, but he was scared. Scared for the life of his son that was just threatened. And if Oikawa Sayuri was behind all of this…

“That’s the thing, Iwaizumi-san. I _do_ believe him. That doesn’t mean the court will. Prosecution will tear him apart if he talks about the nightmares.” Yaku nibbled on this thumb nail for a bit. “Tooru said that this Sayuri woman told him to tell you hi. Do you know who he’s talking about?”

Hajime nodded. He knew very well. “Yeah. Oikawa Sayuri.”

Daichi’s eyes widened. _“What?_ You’re kidding.”

Yaku nodded. “Yeah, I remember reading the case report after she was sentenced. She was released about two years ago, I think.”

Hajime scoffed. “That would’ve been nice to know.”

“Look – I don’t say how long the bad guys are behind bars, I just put them there,” Yaku said. He continued after a moment. “From what I understand, you and Sugawara-san were key in bringing her in since you found the tapes. Now, this is a stupid question: but is there any way that Tooru might’ve seen the videotapes that could’ve somehow influenced him?”

“No, of course not,” Hajime said. “He was just a baby.”

“Could he have overhead you talking about it with Sawamura-san? Or Sugawara-san?”

“It’s not exactly something you discuss at the dinner table,” Hajime quipped.

“Hajime told me he didn’t know anything about it, actually,” Daichi said.

Hajime stuffed his hands in his pockets. Yeah, he’d have to explain this to Daichi later but he had planned on putting it to rest. And after twelve years, one tends to get comfortable.

Yaku pursed his lips. “Yikes, okay. Well, I’m sure Iwaizumi-san and Sugawara-san had their reasons for wanting anonymity in disclosing the evidence, but that’s beside the point. I ask these ridiculous questions so the prosecution won’t discredit Tooru in any way – which they will try to do – so I need to make sure I have everything covered to make this easier.”

Hajime and Daichi just nodded.

“Now I’m not sure if this is just some ploy to get back at you for exposing her or if she’s honestly just gone off the reservation, Iwaizumi-san – but has anyone tried to contact you in any way in regards to Tooru? The kidnapping was unsuccessful because a parent of one of Tooru’s teammates caught them in the act thankfully, but has there been anything in terms of communication?”

Hajime traded looks with Daichi and nodded.

“There was this taped to our front door when we realized that Tooru was late coming home,” Daichi pulled a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yaku, who took it eagerly.

Before they had gotten the phone call that Tooru was in the hospital, Hajime and Daichi were about to drive over to Kousuke’s house thinking that perhaps they lost track of time over there and forgot to call. It happened sometimes, it wasn’t a big deal. When they stepped outside, however, there was a folded slip of paper attached to the door. And in big, bold characters, it read:

_**HE’S MINE.** _

Yaku nodded. “All right, I’ll have the lab scan this for any prints that aren’t yours. For now, let’s just –”

_“What do you mean I can’t see him? That’s my best friend! I’ve been sitting here for hours, lady!”_

_“Visiting hours are over, young man. It’s late. Ma’am, please control your son.”_

The commotion drew the attention of the trio, and Suga, bless his soul, came running over from the opposite end of the hall, exchanging sharp, curt words with the fellow nurse before leading Kousuke and his mother in their direction.

“If Mori-san finds out, it’s your head,” the nurse said.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Suga waved her off and gave a tight smile when he saw Hajime and Daichi. “Hey guys. How’s he doing?”

“He’s awake,” Daichi answered.

“A great sign, if I do say so myself. I’m gonna go check on him while you finish up business out here. Kai should be stopping by later, too,” Suga said, slipping into the room with a silent _“Keep me updated”_ resting on his tongue that Hajime and Daichi read full well.

“You must be Kousuke,” Yaku smiled.

Kousuke nodded. “That’s me. When can I see Tooru?”

“Kousuke, please,” his mother said.

“Well, Sugawara-san is in there checking on him right now. But do you mind answering a few questions I have about what happened while you wait? I promise I’ll be done right when Sugawara-san is and not a second later. It’ll really help Tooru out a lot.”

Kousuke instantly simmered down. “To help Iwa-chan out? I’ll tell you anything you need to know.”

“Great,” Yaku pulled out his own little notepad. “Now from what Tooru was telling me, you two are best friends.”

“Yup.” Kousuke nodded. “Have been since preschool. We play volleyball together.”

“So you know him pretty well, don’t you?”

“Like the back of my hand.”

Hajime and Daichi found themselves smiling.

“Those kind of friendships are the best,” Yaku said. “So can you tell me what you were doing before Tooru was attacked?”

“We were waiting for my mom to pick us up after practice,” Kousuke answered. “And when I didn’t see her outside, I went to go ask our team captain if I could borrow his phone to call her. My phone died and Tooru didn’t have his.”

“I see. And from what I understand, you two walk to and from school every day. Why the sudden change of mind?”

“There was this weird lady that was talking to him when we were walking home the other day – what day was it?” He scratched at his forehead, face scrunched in thought. “Oh yeah! Thursday! So I forgot my book that I needed for my homework in the locker room so I went back to go get it while Iwa-chan – I mean Tooru – waited.” He continued. “I go get my book, I come back, and there’s this lady talking to him that I’ve never seen before.”

Kousuke’s mother looked like she was hearing all of this for the first time.

“Tooru said he was pretty freaked out by her,” Yaku said, jotting all of this down without missing a beat. “How did you feel about her, Kousuke?”

“Same,” Kousuke replied. “She set off every red flag. Like ‘stranger danger’, you know? She was creepy. I asked who she was and she said she was an old friend of the family. But it looked like Tooru was gonna pee his pants so I got us out of there.”

“I’m sure Tooru really appreciated that, Kousuke. You’re a great friend.”

Kousuke let out a bashful laugh. “Try telling Iwa-chan that.”

“Now, let’s fast forward a little bit. I’m sure with you two being best friends, Tooru told you all about his nightmares regarding this woman.” Yaku continued when he received Kousuke’s nod. “Tell me what happened after you went to go call your mom.”

“When I noticed that Iwa-chan wasn’t following me, I went back outside and saw him lying on the ground with Hamada’s dad next to him. And then there was this red van that took off really quickly.”

“So you didn’t see who had attacked Tooru?”

Kousuke shook his head. “Nu-uh. Just the van. But I did hear a woman’s voice. She didn’t sound too happy.”

“Did you happen to hear what she was saying?”

“I think she was telling the driver to hurry up and go or something. I’m not sure. It all happened kind of fast. I was more worried about Tooru.”

Yaku nodded. “Understandable.” He looked at the boy and smiled just as Suga exited the room. “Thank you, Kousuke. You were a tremendous help.”

Kousuke grinned and then looked at Suga. “So, can I see Iwa-chan now?”

Suga gave a thumbs-up. “Sure thing, kiddo.”

“Awesome,” Kousuke slinked past the rest of the adults.

“Not too long, okay son? Tooru needs his rest,” Kousuke’s mother said and then looked at Hajime and Daichi. “I’m so glad that Tooru is okay. Really. Kousuke was freaking out. “

“Thank you, Yukimura-san,” Hajime said.

“Luckily for us, Hamada-san managed to get a glimpse of the attempted kidnapper.” Yaku flipped through his notepad. “Male. Maybe about 180 centimeters. He was wearing a hood though and it was dark so there’s not much more on that. He said he saw a red van, too. Then there’s the scratch that Tooru mentioned. Now that Kousuke mentioned hearing a woman’s voice, we’ve got two people to watch out for.” 

“I’m really sorry I wasn’t there on time,” Kousuke’s mother lamented. “If I was, none of this would’ve happened.” 

Suga cut in for Hajime and Daichi both, placing his hand on her shoulder. “None of this isn’t your fault, Yukimura-san. Please don’t blame yourself.” He offered a small smile.

“He’s right,” Yaku slid his notepad back into his pocket. “This is bigger than what you all think it is.”

Everyone turned to look at him, questions buzzing on their lips and in their minds. Hajime’s stomach twisted in retaliation, and he instinctively held Daichi’s hand. Daichi helped him feel grounded, as cheesy as that sounded, and he knew they would need each other now more than ever.

“You’ve seen the news lately, right? About the two boys that have gone missing in Osaka and Hokkaido? Sons of a CEO and a surgeon? Nowhere even close to Tokyo?” Yaku asked. “We haven’t disclosed too much information about the case in the instance that they aren’t connected, but now I’m starting to think differently.” He sighed. “And I believe Tooru just narrowly avoided being pulled into a growing kidnapping ring. Brown hair and brown eyes? Age twelve? He fits in perfectly.”

The group was eerily silent.

“Now that we know that the kidnappers are partnering up, and are willing to travel long distances, I think it’s safe to assume that Oikawa Sayuri hired these people to take Tooru and bring him to her,” he gestured towards the note, “on the grounds that she’s deluded herself into thinking that he’s her son.”

**

Hajime and Daichi didn’t go to work and Tooru didn’t go to school for the entire week. While Lev could’ve taken Tooru to and from school and kept watch, Yaku insisted that it was better if Tooru stayed home until this was all sorted out to guarantee safety for all of them. Tooru had nightmares every now and again, but when he started sleeping next to Daichi and Hajime, it wasn’t as bad.

Yaku kept them updated about the case, telling them that he had reviewed the security footage outside the gym and it was indeed a man that had tried to take Tooru and the red van at the scene was confirmed. They found the red van abandoned in an empty parking lot and it was being swept for evidence. The note taped to their front door didn’t have any fingerprints (that weren’t Hajime and Daichi’s) and there weren’t any other identifying aspects to pin Sayuri as the one who left it.

Which meant that they’d have to bring in whoever tried to kidnap Tooru and bring them in for questioning.

Kousuke, Suga and Kuroo, along with Bokuto and Akaashi, tried to stop by but Yaku said that it was best if they kept their distance until this was all sorted out to not only protect Tooru, but to protect themselves, explaining that he wanted to avoid a hostage situation as much as possible.

Hajime and Daichi tried to make things seem as normal as possible – well, as normal as things could get with an investigator constantly keeping watch outside their house. And as the week dragged on, they thought it would never end. Until Yaku was visiting them one day about progress on the case and Lev, who was currently across the street in a parked car, called him.

“What’s up, Lev?” Yaku asked, pausing a moment. “All right. Yeah, reel them in. I have some questions.” He hung up.

“What was that about?” Daichi asked. 

“Lev’s been keeping a pretty steady eye on who’s passed by your house this week and this same couple walking their dog has come through here every morning at 7:30 and then again in the evening at 8:00.”

Hajime nodded. “Yeah, that’s one of my old classmates from high school. He and his wife just moved in with their son down the street.”

Yaku raised an eyebrow. “You know him?”

“Not very well, more like I saw him in passing. His name is Akiyama Ichirou,” Hajime said. “He tried out for the volleyball team but didn’t make it and became part of what we called Oikawa’s fan club. I saw them just before this all happened. You don’t think they’re somehow connected to this, do you?”

“For their sake, I hope they aren’t,” Yaku said. “Lev said he has a bandage on his left cheek. If he’s not connected to this whole thing, then he won’t have anything to hide.” He stepped outside, running over when he saw Lev and another officer leading the now handcuffed duo. “Lev, what the hell happened?”

“They tried to give us the slip,” Lev said. He nodded towards Ichirou. “Genius here took a swing at me.”

“Fantastic,” Yaku said.

“Dad? Papa?” Tooru stood in the doorway of his room, coming over to them. He’d been asleep when Yaku arrived. “What’s going on?”

Daichi reacted instantly, smiling softly. “Nothing – Yaku wanted to talk for a little bit. You haven’t really eaten today. Are you hungry?”

Tooru nodded.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat,” Daichi led Tooru away from the door, looking at Hajime for a moment before turning his attention back to their son.

Hajime went outside and shut the door behind him, going to stand beside Yaku, his blood coming to a boil as he saw Akiyama being led to the back of the police car and the latter smirked at him. “So you think they did it?”

“I’d say they’re damn fine suspects, given that they tried to run,” Yaku said. “We’ll take them to the station for questioning and give you a call if anything turns up. For now, be there for your family. They need you. Call me if anything comes up, and I mean _anything.”_

Hajime nodded. “Will do.”

Yaku smiled and clapped Hajime on the back before leaving.

Hajime went back inside and shut the door, sighing a bit, drawing the attention of his husband and son. 

“Are Yaku-san and Lev-san gonna catch them, Dad?” Tooru asked.

Hajime went over, mussing his son’s hair and placing a soft kiss to his head. “They sure are.”

**

His phone rang around eleven that night, riling him out of a dead sleep. Hajime looked around for a bit, eyes settling on a sleeping Daichi and Tooru, who was snuggled into the other man’s chest, undisturbed by the noise, before plucking his phone off the nightstand.

He rubbed his eyes and answered it. “Hello?”

_“Sorry, Iwaizumi. Were you asleep?”_ It was Yaku.

“Well, I _was,”_ he slipped out of bed and ambled into the living room so as not to wake Daichi and Tooru. “What’s going on?”

_“We got a confession out of Akiyama and his wife,”_ Yaku said. _“They sang like canaries. And we’ve taken Oikawa Sayuri into custody. We need Tooru to make an identification. Tomorrow, though.”_

Hajime sighed in relief. “That’s great to hear.”

_“We also need to talk to you and Sawamura-san. You’re not gonna like what we found.”_

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “All right. We’ll be there in the morning. Thank you, Yaku.”

The conversation ended shortly after that and Hajime climbed back into bed, settling in the quiet.

“Everything okay?” Daichi muttered.

Hajime kept his voice low. “We have to go to the police station tomorrow. Yaku and Lev need Tooru to make an identification and talk to us.”

Daichi nodded. “Okay.” 

And Hajime was starting to see the light at the end of this long tunnel.

**

They arrived at the station early the next morning after breakfast, and Lev and Yaku greeted them as soon as they walked in.

“Good morning!” Lev chirped, much too peppy for literally anyone in the department. He looked at Tooru and grinned. “I found some of my old Nekoma High volleyball matches we can watch while they talk.”

Tooru perked up. “Yeah!” He looked at Hajime and Daichi. “I can go, right?”

Hajime nodded. “Of course.”

“Have at it,” Daichi said.

“Cool!” Tooru followed Lev to his desk as the latter set up the DVDs on his computer.

“Iwaizumi, Sawamura – if you’ll please follow me.” Yaku walked into a separate room, file folder in hand, shutting the door when the two men entered. He sat across from Daichi and Hajime. “Thank you both for coming in so early. I’m sure you must be exhausted.”

“We just want this to be over,” Hajime said.

“Understandable,” Yaku said. “So let’s get right to the point.” He folded his hands together. “Yesterday, when Akiyama and his wife confessed, we immediately went to arrest Oikawa Sayuri. And what we found,” he opened the folder, “was unsettling.” He laid out pictures of the apartment, all taken at different angles.

There were photographs of Tooru all along the walls, ranging from just last week and back about two years ago, either by himself or with friends, with Suga and Kuroo, and even with Hajime and Daichi. They were all taken at a distance, with Tooru as the main focus of each photograph. Newspaper clippings featuring his volleyball team were among them as well. And Hajime felt sick to his stomach.

Daichi slid the photographs away. “And this was at her apartment?”

Yaku nodded. “And that’s not all we found. There were videotapes of his volleyball games and maps of where you, Kuroo and Suga, Bokuto and Akaashi lived. Even Kousuke. She’s been keeping tabs on you all ever since she got out. Guess she got tired of waiting.”

Hajime clenched his fists, processing the information just given. “So where do Akiyama and his wife fit in all of this? Besides the fact that they tried to kidnap our son. They’ve been taking boys from, well, high-end people. And I hate to say it, but we’re not exactly on that radar.”

“Akiyama and his wife – how do I put this? – fight for the little guy, you know?” Yaku said. “They avenge for those who have been wronged by big shots in society, giving them their just desserts. And after we found the other two boys - and their son was another kidnapped boy that had been reported a runaway - we did some digging. Turns out the CEO was involved in a phishing scam that cost a lot of people their jobs and finances. And the surgeon performed an operation under the influence and a three-year-old died. Of course, the cause of death was ruled as internal hemorrhaging.”

Hajime and Daichi were quiet.

“Where you two belong in all of this fits their M.O.,” Yaku said. “Sayuri managed to convince them that Tooru is her biological son and she gave him up for adoption to get her life back in order. And when she was released, you two refused to give him back. She had documents fabricated and everything.”

“Tooru is our son! Not hers!” Hajime snapped.

“Trust me when I say this, Iwaizumi-san: this dispute _will not_ go to trial. There is absolutely no biological link between her and Tooru, so the judge won’t hear it and a prosecutor who’s in his right mind won’t even take a look at the case. While the resemblance between your son and Oikawa Tooru is there, DNA doesn’t lie,” Yaku explained. “So rest easy. There is no way that Tooru can be taken away from you.”

Hajime’s leg bounced up and down, unable to find another way to expend the nervous energy coursing through him. What about Tooru’s actual biological parents? What if they decide all of a sudden that they want Tooru back? It was something that Hajime feared every year Tooru grew older, that those who left him on a doorstep would suddenly be standing there wanting him back.

“We also took some liberty in investigating the whereabouts of Tooru’s biological family,” Yaku said, effectively catching Hajime’s attention again. “But the small hospital he was born in burned down about five years ago and all medical files were lost. So unless new DNA tests are run and records are made, no one can just come in and claim that they are Tooru’s biological parents.” He smiled. “Everything will be fine.”

And Hajime released the breath that he didn’t even realize he’d been holding.

After they were done talking, and Tooru identified Sayuri out of a lineup of similar looking women (it was remarkably fast with little doubt in his eyes, especially now that he had his glasses, and it even caught Yaku off guard), they were free to go.

Free to return to their lives. Free to rebuild. They knew it would take time, but they’d get there, as they always did.

And it was the best sleep Tooru had gotten in a long time.

**

“How’s he doing?” Suga asked.

Hajime watched Tooru blast through the opposing team’s block like it was nothing. It’d been about half a month since everything happened, and while it took Tooru a while to feel comfortable enough to walk home again, even with Kousuke, he got there. The nightmares completely stopped. Well, other than the generic monster in your closet or showing up at school in nothing but underwear, the ones about Sayuri had stopped.

Yaku assured them that she would be going away for a long time.

He smiled. “I think it’s safe to say he’s doing better.”

“Good, I’d hate to hear otherwise,” Yaku grinned as he approached with Lev and sat down as everyone greeted them. “Sorry we’re late. We were training a rookie today.”

“Ah, so it is true,” Kuroo smirked from beside Suga. “Partners both on _and_ off the job. You sly dogs.”

_“Shut up!”_ Yaku growled, oblivious to Lev nodding enthusiastically.

Hajime watched as Tooru’s teammates gave him congratulatory pats on the back, mussing his hair and laughing together.

Yeah.

They’d be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, so I kind of mentioned this late in the game last chapter (I kept forgetting to add it) but this entire arc is only a "what-if" scenario. I originally had this idea for _A Smile to the West_ but I scrapped it and went with a virus instead. I'm evil, but I try not to be too evil. Just thought I'd let you all see one of the many angsty ideas I had written down in my journal. Anyway, this is the last part of this and then we can get back to the fluff ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
> 
> Got an idea? I'd love to hear it!


	8. No Parallels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is happiness, to be everything at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 2

He didn’t really understand why it was called the “terrible twos” and why Suga told him to be ready for the maelstrom heading his way over the next year or so. Tooru was generally a quiet and gentle child, clinging to Hajime more often than not and only prone to the occasional crying fit where it’d take Hajime longer to soothe him, so of course he was confused when Suga told him that “no” would become a familiar word in Tooru’s vocabulary and meltdowns would be frequent.

Well, that was before Tooru threw a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store because he tried climbing on the shelves to reach something and Hajime had to get him down so he wouldn’t get hurt. Tooru had thrown himself on the floor and started wailing, causing some people to stare, mostly sympathetic mothers who had been through the ups and downs of raising a child, as Hajime lifted Tooru into his arms and took him to the bathroom to try and calm him down. 

And it took a bit, but after some coaxing, Tooru’s cries eased into soft sniffles. 

In Tooru’s early days of walking, Hajime had quickly learned that he was a fearless climber and would scale cabinets and bookshelves without hesitation. And one day, Tooru had climbed onto one of the chairs at the table, lost his balance, and fell. It wasn’t a very nasty fall, just a minor bump to the head, but Hajime had a hard time forgiving himself for turning his back that quick minute because how could he have let Tooru get hurt? He was the parent, he was supposed to protect his child!

Suga came over to make sure Tooru was okay when he saw that Hajime was freaking out and told his friend that toddlers fall all the time, showing him that Tooru was climbing up on the couch again after he had stopped crying. Tooru bounced right back, without a care in the world, seeking to reach new, much safer, heights.

Hajime asked his mother for advice later that evening, and she suggested that he lay out large pillows and blankets along the floor by the couch that way when Tooru wanted to climb – with supervision, of course – he’d have something soft to land on. Hajime’s older sister was an avid climber at that age too, so finding a safe alternative was a must.

When Hajime had laid everything out, Tooru was absolutely thrilled and he was climbing and jumping into the pile of pillows as he pleased and even stood on the arm of the couch and leaped into his father’s arms. Hajime eventually spread out the couch cushions along the floor so Tooru could jump back and forth on them. This went on for nearly the whole day before he tuckered himself out and fell asleep. 

But a shelf lined with canned food was something entirely different.

“You can get hurt,” Hajime explained, wiping the toddler’s tears from flushed cheeks. “We have to be careful when we climb things, remember? If you need something you can’t get, ask Daddy and I’ll get it for you, okay?”

Tooru nodded, wiping his eyes. “’Kay.”

Crisis averted.

Hajime put the groceries down on the counter, intending to call his mother for any advice about how in the world to tackle the next tantrum or anything that the “terrible twos” might bring as he put everything, when he noticed that the living room was oddly quiet.

When they had arrived home, Tooru immediately went to play with the different toys scattered along the floor, the tantrum from earlier completely forgotten. Most of the toys made noise and he expected to hear that or the toddler’s telltale laughter. But now that he heard neither…

Hajime walked out into the living area, perhaps expecting to see his son asleep next to his toys (it happened more often than not), but when he saw that the room was empty, he scratched the back of his head. Where did he go? He went to his own room, looking under the bed and in the closet but finding nothing.

“Tooru?” he called out, heading to the toddler’s room next.

Upon entering, Hajime could hear sniffles coming from the small bed. He crouched down and looked underneath, seeing a whimpering Tooru with large tears cascading down his cheeks.

“Tooru, what’s the matter?” Hajime asked, voice soft. What in the world could be wrong? Did something scare him? Was he hurt? Did he do something he wasn’t supposed to? Tooru was crying, so this wasn’t their usual game of hide and seek. Hajime held out his hand. “It’s okay, come here.”

Tooru looked at Hajime’s hand for a moment before taking it and scooting out from under the bed. “Wet… me wet…”

Hajime helped the boy stand and saw the large stain along the front of the toddler’s shorts. “Ah, okay.” He scooped Tooru in his arms and grabbed a clean pair of shorts and a training pamper, heading to the bathroom and running a bath. It was getting to be near Tooru’s bedtime anyway, and even though Tooru dreaded taking baths, this time couldn’t be avoided.

“Bad Tooru…” the boy sniveled, lowering his head in shame. “Tooru bad…”

Hajime placed the boy to his feet, kneeling down in front of him. “No, Tooru – you’re not bad,” Hajime said, continuing to talk in a warm and even tone. “It was an accident, you didn’t mean to.”

Tooru lifted his head, hesitation in his eyes. “Daddy not mad?”

“I’m not mad.” Hajime stroked Tooru’s cheek gently, smiling. “It’s okay, you’re still learning. When you have to go potty, tell me and I can teach you how to use the toilet like a big boy.” He pointed to the toilet. “But if you can’t hold it and wet yourself, it’s okay.”

Tooru nodded, still sniffling as Hajime helped him undress and get into the tub. And even as the bubbles foamed around him, Tooru sat there still sniffling and his tears rippled across the water. “Dirty… Me dirty…”

Hajime sighed softly, wondering how he could possibly remedy this, when an idea struck him. He tugged off his shirt. “All right, kiddo. Scoot over.”

Tooru blinked owlishly as Hajime undressed and climbed into the tub with him.

“Daddy needs a bath, too,” Hajime said.

Tooru tilted his head. “Daddy dirty, too?”

Hajime grinned. “Yup.”

Tooru giggled as soap was put in his hair, his tiny hands lathering it just as his father had showed him. “Scrub, scrub, scrub!” he sang. Then he stood up in the water, smiling from ear to ear. “Daddy’s turn!” 

Hajime chuckled, allowing Tooru to wash his hair and even style it crazily with the soap. Tooru giggled mischievously at his handiwork as he had made Hajime’s hair stand straight up. “Daddy has funny hair!” And he grinned when Hajime did the same to him, except this time Hajime parted it in a way that made the toddler look like he had cat ears.

“You do, too!” Hajime smiled.

With their hair rinsed and bodies scrubbed clean, Hajime stepped out and dried himself first, wrapping himself in a towel before doing the same to Tooru. He drained the water from the tub, only to turn back around to find that Tooru was gone, the towel on the floor, and wet footprints leading out of the bathroom.

Cue Hajime chasing down a still wet and naked toddler around the apartment, Tooru’s laughter bubbling off the walls, and he squealed when he was scooped easily into his father’s arms.

“Gotcha!” Hajime said, tickling Tooru’s sides and laughing right along with him.

Once they were both dried properly and dressed in their pajamas, Tooru started to wind down, his coffee eyes heavy with sleep even as he grabbed a book for Hajime to read to him.

“This one,” Tooru said, snuggling under the covers and settling in at his father’s side. He let out a small yawn, but kept his eyes open, ever the stubborn one.

And if Hajime was being honest, he honestly wouldn’t even have to read from the book since it was one of Tooru’s favorites and he could almost recite every word by heart. But Hajime read it anyway, simply because he loved seeing the smile it brought to Tooru’s face.

He didn’t even make it past page five before his son was fast asleep, and Hajime placed a gentle kiss to Tooru’s head. 

**

It was a cool and cloudy morning with showers promised later on in the evening. Hajime had just finished making some rice and eggs with fish when Tooru wrinkled his nose at the egg-mixed rice in front of him. He pushed the bowl away.

“No,” he said.

“You don’t want it?” Hajime asked, a little perplexed. Tooru loved eggs with rice, it was one of his favorite things to eat.

“No,” Tooru huffed, crossing his arms in a defiant pout.

“Okay,” Hajime said. “How about something else?”

That definitely got Tooru’s attention.

His mom had said that toddlers, with their burgeoning independence, love making decisions and calling the shots. They knew what they wanted, even if it was cookies for dinner (thankfully it hadn’t come to that yet). All Hajime had to do was figure out how to ask the right questions.

Hajime picked up the small bowl. “Do you want to eat yogurt or cereal?”

“Yogurt!” Tooru said, the word a little jumbled.

“Strawberry or blueberry?”

“Strawberry!”

Hajime smiled, retrieving the desired item from the fridge and handing Tooru a spoon. He started to peel back the lid when Tooru brushed his hand away.

“I do it,” the toddler said, tongue sticking out in concentration as he peeled the top back, looking at his father when he was successful in doing so, absolutely beaming. “Yay! I did it!”

Hajime grinned, ruffling Tooru’s hair. “I’m so proud of you!”

And that’s when it really hit Hajime that Tooru was growing up and would one day not need him anymore. And while he was immensely proud that his son was growing by leaps and bounds, it was also very bittersweet.

They went to the park after breakfast, with orange slices, bottles of water, and sidewalk chalk – the last item because Tooru had taken it upon himself to turn the walls of his bedroom and the living into a canvas even when there were plenty of coloring books nearby. Luckily, it was washable marker (past Hajime was looking out for future Hajime), and he couldn’t stay upset for long, not when Tooru was wailing from his spot on the couch.

He always hated getting onto Tooru, it never settled right with him. And a majority of the time, Tooru was well-behaved. But there were other times he liked to push boundaries. Such as the time he tried to climb up on the dresser drawers, even though Hajime had already made it explicitly clear beforehand not to, and nearly toppled over with it. Yeah, Hajime felt his heart stop that day.

“Birdie!” Tooru pointed to the sky as a bird flew overhead. “Daddy, birdie! Yellow birdie!”

“That’s right, Tooru. Great job!” Hajime said. “All right, kiddo – where do you want to color today?”

Tooru ran ahead, looking around at all the colorful drawings other kids had done before him, and pointed to a clean patch of pavement, jumping up and down. “Here! Here!”

“That’s perfect,” Hajime settled down next to him, pulling out the box of chalk from the backpack and let Tooru have free reign of it. He watched the boy scribble masterpieces along the sidewalk, smiling and offering praise as Tooru drew “doggies” and “birdies” and called them such.

Tooru held out a stick of orange chalk to him. “Daddy color too!”

Hajime took it happily, drawing a small sun before his attention was diverted to the toddler once more, feeling his heart swell as he saw Tooru’s eyes sparkled, cheeks dusted with different colors, reveling in this moment, taking mental snapshots of this memory and pinning it to a corkboard.

They spent a good portion of the morning there, when Tooru was decidedly done with the chalk and had taken to playing on the small jungle gym instead. They stopped to eat lunch at the Cat-fé since it was right across the street (and Tooru was always excited to see Kuroo and Kenma) before heading home. And Tooru fell asleep in his father’s arms on the way there.

**

His bedroom door creaked open around three in the morning, and he could feel the slight dip in the bed as a tiny figure clambered his way up. He was already awake by the time Tooru nudged his shoulder, eyes fluttering open and meeting the toddler’s teary gaze.

Hajime sat up a little. “Hey, Tooru – what’s wrong?”

“B-Bad…” Tooru sniffled. “Bad ghost… bad dream. It went rawr!” He hooked his hands into claws and bared his teeth before wiping at his eyes.

Hajime brushed back some of Tooru’s hair. “It’s okay, Tooru. It was just a dream, there’s no bad ghost here.” He offered a small smile. “Want to sleep with me tonight?”

Tooru nodded vehemently, easily settling in next to Hajime and curling up against his chest, and was asleep within minutes. And as Hajime felt sleep beckon him into her sweet embrace too, he smiled and held Tooru a little closer.

He didn’t really understand why it was called the “terrible twos” and why Suga told him to be ready for the maelstrom heading his way over the next year or so. But these temper tantrums, these acts of frustration and defiance, these butterfly kisses, these tiny handprints and footprints – while they would only last for a short time, Hajime intended to cherish them forever. He wouldn't have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who was ready for the fluff after this past arc? I sure was.
> 
> Thank you Vivalanordics for your Terrible Twos Tooru idea! I hope it was suffice, I kind of wrote this all in one day because I like to avoid responsibilities. There will come a time when I stop staying up till 4:30 in the morning, but it's not gonna be anytime soon.
> 
> And on a random note, I was browsing through Pinterest when I saw this [picture](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/545428204854550108/) of Oikawa holding a little Hajime.
> 
> And then I thought: "What if Oikawa was the one to raise the reincarnation of Iwaizumi?" 
> 
> And then I got the rarepairs going: OiSuga and KuroDai. Daichi was Iwaizumi's boyfriend who eventually falls for Kuroo and Oikawa and Suga eventually fall for each other *cue more mutual pining*. And then I started thinking about a little Hajime picking up some of Oikawa's mannerisms as he grew older but still like "My dad can be silly sometimes but make fun of him and I will fight you." Little Hajime having Oikawa's last name: _Oikawa Hajime._ Him being a badass setter and -
> 
> Please stop me.


	9. The Definition of Not Leaving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of hearts and homes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 7

Tooru was a smart kid.

He tended to pick things up relatively quickly, some concepts better than others, but he knew if worked at it, he’d eventually get it down, and he was very observant for his age. Almost scarily so. He’d noticed Suga’s and Hajime’s feelings for their current significant others long before they were ready to admit it at the tender age of four, and this had only enhanced the more he grew, the more he understood. So when Tooru asked Hajime why he was acting weird around Daichi again – turning red and talking funny (though nowhere near as bad as before) – Hajime was reminded all over again just how perceptive his son really was.

Today was Saturday, and Daichi had been called into work because something went wrong with the project they were currently working on that apparently couldn’t have waited until the next business day, so he begrudgingly hauled himself to his office that morning with promises that he’d be back later.

It was now or never.

“Tooru,” Hajime said, garnering the boy’s attention from the volleyball game on TV. Kageyama had given away some of their recorded matches in case Tooru wanted to study their plays, something that the boy was always excited to do. “Come here, I wanna talk to you about something.”

A curious look in his eyes, Tooru sat in the empty spot on the couch next to him, volleyball in hand. “Am I in trouble? Is it because I got a bad grade?”

Tooru had received a low grade on his most recent math quiz and he was very upset about it. He hadn’t ever made that low of a grade before, so he thought that Daichi and Hajime would be disappointed in him for not doing as well as he usually did. They promised him that that would never be the case, that they would always be proud of him because he did his best. And Daichi being the blessing and math wizard that he was, offered to help Tooru with any future assignments, to which the boy was extremely grateful.

“No, no, no – you’re not in trouble. Don’t worry,” Hajime said and then continued after Tooru looked at him in confusion. “Do you like Daichi living here with us?”

Now Tooru looked even more confused, like Hajime was asking one of the silliest questions in the world. “Uh-huh! I love that Papa lives here with us.”

“So you’re okay if Daichi stays with us for a long time?” Hajime asked. “And it’s okay if you’re not. No matter what, I won’t be mad.”

Tooru nodded. “I want Papa to live with us forever and ever! I love him a lot!” He continued, a smile on his face. “He’s nice and he’s really funny, even though he can be scary when he’s mad. And he plays games with me and he helps me when I ask him. He makes me happy!” Then another thought seemed to occur to him. “Papa’s not gonna leave us, right Daddy?”

Hajime felt his heart clench. “No, of course not, Tooru. Daichi isn’t leaving us. I asked if you’re okay if Daichi stays with us for a long time because I want to marry Daichi, and I wanted to make sure it was okay with you if I did.”

Tooru brightened almost immediately. “You want to marry Papa?”

Hajime smiled. “Yes, I do.”

Tooru started jumping up and down, bouncing all around the room and cheering. “Yay! Daddy and Papa are gonna get married! I’m so excited!”

Hajime watched Tooru run and jump around, taking comfort in such a positive reaction from the boy. He had wanted to make sure that Tooru was one hundred percent okay with Daichi, that he was comfortable, just as he had before when he and Daichi talked about living together two and a half years ago. 

His son came first before anything and anyone else. And that would never change.

“Are you excited too, Daddy?” Tooru stopped jumping just for a moment.

Hajime’s smile widened. “I sure am.”

Now he could start planning how in the hell he was going to pull this off. 

Being friends with Kuroo and Suga and being the former captain of Karasuno, Daichi was hardly surprised by anything anymore. Few things ever did. Last time they had tried to throw a surprise party for him, but Daichi knew about everything within the hour, even though Bokuto and Akaashi had planned it to try and avoid that from happening. And by Bokuto and Akaashi planning it, that meant Akaashi planned it all because Bokuto couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.

And when Daichi wasn’t at all surprised by the surprise party, Hajime had never seen Kuroo and Suga so absolutely bitter before. They were sure they had him that time.

Hajime sighed. He honestly wanted to surprise Daichi. And he still had to get a ring. _Shit, he still had to get a ring._ He had considered asking Daichi to marry him before, but he was worried that it may have been too soon and God forbid something that rocks their relationship, but every time he saw Daichi holding Tooru close or when Tooru would run into Daichi’s open arms, he knew that he had found the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. 

_“Daichi-kun is a wonderful young man, Haji. He adores you and Tooru, and you would be a fool not to marry him,” his mom said over the phone._

Suga had told him the exact same thing.

And now that Tooru had agreed to this next big milestone in their lives, he could start making plans.

Shit.

How in the hell was he going to pull this off?

How _in the hell_ was he going to pull this off?

There was a knock on the door just then, breaking Hajime’s train of thought, and Tooru was bouncing excitedly again as Hajime went to answer the door.

“Uncle Kou and Tetsu-chan are here!” the boy chirped.

Suga and Kuroo had offered to take Tooru out for lunch and ice cream while Hajime ran some errands that he’d been avoiding all week. (He was lazy sometimes, sue him.) Bokuto and Akaashi were going to be there and Hajime said that he’d meet up with them if they were still hanging out by the time he was done.

Tooru ran up to Kuroo and Suga as soon they were inside.

“Hi!” Suga laughed as Tooru clung to his leg.

Kuroo grinned. “Hey there, little munchkin!”

“Hi, Tetsu-chan!” Tooru said as he put on his shoes and was lifted into Tooru’s arms.

Hajime smiled. “Hey guys.”

“Hey!” they said.

“You’ll meet up with us later right, Haji?” Suga asked. “After you’re done?”

Hajime nodded. “Definitely. I’ll let you know if I get caught up in something.”

Suga smiled. “Great.”

“Eat plenty of ice cream for me, yeah?” Hajime gave Tooru’s nose a small poke and smiled. “Try not to get brain freeze.”

Tooru giggled. “Okay, Daddy. Chocolate or strawberry? Or both! I like both!”

“Both,” Hajime said. “Be good for Koushi and Kuroo, okay?”

Tooru grinned. “’kay!”

**

Upon seeing Bokuto and Akaashi seated at a table, Tooru ran right up to them, catching them both by surprise. They ended up at a restaurant that served a variety of dishes since no one could figure out exactly what they wanted, but Tooru didn’t so much care about the food as he did the ice cream.

That’s what he was looking forward to.

“I swear you’re getting bigger and bigger every time we see you!” Bokuto grinned. “What in the world is your dad feeding you?”

“I eat lots and lots!” Tooru giggled from his place on Akaashi’s lap as he colored in a blank children’s menu. He handed Akaashi a crayon and smiled when Akaashi colored right with him. He looked at Bokuto. “Uncle Boku, can you teach me that really cool spike you did when we practiced volleyball last time?” He moved his arm diagonally through the air. “It went like that!”

“Sure can!” Bokuto grinned. “I’ll teach it to you when you start playing volleyball!”

“Aw, I can’t learn it now?” Tooru deflated. “But I wanna be cool like you, Uncle Boku!”

Akaashi pat his head. “Koutarou didn’t learn the cross spike until he was much older, you know.” 

Tooru looked at him. “Really?” 

Bokuto nodded. “Yup! I didn’t start doing the cross spike until I was in my third year of junior high so you’re gonna be even cooler than me if you start learning your first year!” He gave Tooru a challenging smirk. “It’s not easy though. Are you ready for the challenge?”

Tooru saluted with a determined look on his face. “Yes, Uncle Boku!”

Bokuto ruffled his hair. “That’s what I like to hear!”

“And I’ll teach you how to _block_ a cross spike, Tooru,” Kuroo smirked, eyes glinting as Bokuto glared at him. “You’ll be the best at it. That way, when you’re playing for Nekoma and you come across someone in Fukurodani who knows it, you can easily shut them down. And you’ll be even _cooler_ than Bokuto. You’ll be awesome like me.”

Tooru nodded excitedly, a smile from ear to ear. He couldn’t believe it! He was going to learn the cross spike _and_ how to block it! He was going to be the best volleyball player ever! He couldn’t wait to tell Kousuke all about this at school on Monday!

“He should just go to Karasuno,” Suga said, nonchalantly sipping at his water. “It’s where Daichi and I went. And we went to nationals.”

“So did we!” Bokuto and Kuroo exclaimed.

“And that’s a four hour drive. Two hours by train,” Kuroo said, nudging into Suga’s shoulder playfully. “Is he really gonna want to make that trip daily, kitten?”

“I didn’t say they had to stay in Tokyo,” Suga quipped. “Miyagi isn’t a bad place to live, you know.”

“Tokyo is way better,” Bokuto said.

“Besides,” Kuroo cut back in, “I’m sure if Iwaizumi was to move back to Miyagi, little Tooru here would be attending Aoba Jousai and not Karasuno.”

Tooru didn’t really understand what they were talking about, a lot names were being thrown around (he only recognized Aoba Jousai and Karasuno), so he just continued to color with Akaashi. He noticed that Akaashi was coloring neatly within the lines of a cartoon dog and tried to do the same with the cat on the opposite side of the page. He stuck his tongue out in concentration.

“Look, Akaa-chan!” Tooru pointed to the now green cat. Some of the color spilled from the lines, but it was a lot better than before.

Akaashi smiled. “Great job, kiddo.”

“Thank you!” Tooru chirped and continued to color. He paused for a moment, the crayon still held in his tiny hand, as he watched Kuroo, Suga, and Bokuto talk.

They were all so cool and strong, and they attended high schools that went to nationals. He had seen Tobio-chan and Shou-chan play in their games on TV, and he even watched the new Aoba Jousai team play in the high school nationals that Makki-chan coached. The new Karasuno team was there, too. He had even watched the match between Kuroo and Bokuto. He had seen his daddy and papa play, too.

And they all played so well.

How could he ever hope to live up to that?

It’s like they were geniuses.

And he wasn’t a genius.

“Akaa-chan, do you think I’ll be a good volleyball player?” Tooru asked.

Akaashi smiled at him. “You’re going to be an amazing volleyball player, Tooru.”

“Like you? And Papa? And Daddy?” Tooru looked at him. “And everyone?”

“I think you’re going to be even better than us,” Akaashi said.

“Really?”

“Really. You’re going to bring something unique to your team that none of us will ever be able to, that no one on your future team will ever be able to,” Akaashi explained.

“U…Unique?” Tooru sounded the word out, the two syllables feeling funny on his tongue. He tilted his head. “What’s that word mean?”

“It means that you’re one of a kind, that there’s no one else like you,” Akaashi said. “And it’s true.”

He was unique? How? He didn’t understand.

“What’s unique about me?” Tooru asked.

“Well, how many other little boys do you know that are named Iwaizumi Tooru that wear cool glasses and love to play volleyball and eat milk bread? Who makes everyone as happy as you do?”

Tooru thought about it. Well, there were other kids in his class that wore glasses, but they had different names. And no one else said that milk bread was one of their favorite foods when the teacher asked. And he was the only one in his class that had Iwaizumi as a last name. But his first name… there someone else had the same first name as he did.

His daddy’s best friend. They had the same first name.

“Daddy’s best friend had the same first name as me,” Tooru said. “Does that still make me unique?”

“Of course it does,” Akaashi said. “Your name is very special, Tooru.”

Tooru smiled. His name was special? _He_ was special? Unique, even? His smile widened.

“Oh, it looks like Daichi’s gonna join us,” Suga said, looking at his phone.

“Papa’s done working?” Tooru asked, words lilting with hope.

Suga grinned. “Yup! He’s gonna be here in a few minutes.”

Tooru felt glee burst through him. He was always excited to see his papa, no matter what.

When Daichi arrived, Tooru traded his spot on Akaashi’s lap for Daichi’s and they talked for a little longer before ordering lunch when Suga received a text from Hajime that he probably wouldn’t be able to make it in time. Tooru was a little disappointed that they didn’t have strawberry sandwiches like the Cat-fé did, but he liked the fish on the menu so he picked that.

“Papa, look!” Tooru showed the completed coloring page. “Akaa-chan helped me! He colored the pink dog and the blue bird.”

“That’s great, Tooru,” Daichi smiled. “Which ones did you color?”

“The green cat and the yellow duck!” Tooru declared. “My color didn’t stay in the lines but Akaa-chan said it still looks good.”

“And he’s right,” Daichi said. “It looks great.”

“Oh! Guess what, Papa! You’re not gonna believe it!” Tooru looked at him. “Daddy asked me if I was okay with you living with us for a long time and I said yes! And then, and then Daddy said he was gonna ask you to marry him! And that made me so happy!”

The entire table grew quiet and Daichi turned a very deep shade of red, one that Tooru hadn’t ever seen him turn before. Was his papa okay? Was he sick? No, he couldn’t be sick! He was fine earlier!

“Tooru-chan,” Suga leaned over, smiling. “I think that was supposed to stay a secret.”

Tooru gasped and covered his mouth with his hands. He told a secret?! He didn’t know that was supposed to stay a secret! He was just so happy that his daddy and papa were gonna get married and then they would be together forever!

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t know it was a secret! I’m sorry!” Tooru said.

Suga, Bokuto, and Kuroo laughed.

Kuroo ruffled Tooru’s hair. “No worries, little man! No worries!” A Cheshire grin slid across his face. “In fact, I think you surprised him more than we, or even Iwaizumi, would ever be able to. Never seen Sawamura rendered speechless before. Good job, munchkin!”

He looked around at everyone. They didn’t _seem_ mad. He looked at Daichi. “You’re not mad that I told the secret, are you Papa?”

Daichi finally pulled himself together and smiled at him. He pat Tooru’s head. “No, of course not.”

Tooru breathed out a sigh of relief. Good.

After eating, they all had ice cream and Tooru had both chocolate and strawberry just like his daddy said. And now, Kuroo and Bokuto were trying to team him how to stick a spoon to his nose. He thought it was pretty cool that they could get it to stay without glue or tape. It was frustrating that he couldn’t get it when he tried, but he couldn’t help but laugh when Kuroo and Bokuto did. 

They _did_ look pretty funny with spoons stuck to their faces.

**

_**Your son spilled the beans lol** _

Hajime couldn’t stop staring at the text message that Suga had sent him earlier. Beans? What beans were spilled? Was it literal beans or –

_Oh._

The beans that involved him asking Daichi to marry him, which he apparently didn’t need to worry about anymore because Tooru had already done it for him.

Those beans.

The front door clicked open and _oh dear god he was not ready._

Tooru ran in, almost slipping and clung to Hajime’s leg. “I’m sorry Daddy, I didn’t mean to tell Papa! I didn’t know it was supposed to stay a secret! You’re not mad, are you?”

Hajime stroked his hair, smiling reassuringly. “Not at all, Tooru.” His attention was diverted when Daichi walked in, his face ablaze and Hajime’s heart jumped in his throat as he rubbed the back of his neck. Nothing was said for a few moments so he broke it first. “I promise I was going to have everything planned out –”

“Yes,” Daichi said.

Hajime stopped. “Huh?”

“My answer is yes,” Daichi said, smiling now and moving closer. “Yes, I will marry you.”

Hajime released the breath he didn’t even realize he was holding and closed the very little distance between them by sealing it with a kiss. The answer was yes. Yes. Daichi, the man he loved, was going to marry him and Tooru would have another person to look up to and everything was just so _fucking perfect_ right now.

They parted when Tooru tugged on their shorts and looked at him.

“Papa, you’re going to marry my Daddy, right?” Tooru asked, hope clear in his eyes.

Daichi grinned, picking Tooru up. “I sure am.”

“Yay! We can be together forever now!” Tooru said, hugging Daichi tight.

Daichi looked at Hajime as he held Tooru close. “Oh, and Suga says you still owe me a romantic dinner and a ring.”

Hajime laughed. “Way ahead of him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you IronyPistol for this marvelous idea of Tooru's innocent little self playing a hand in Hajime and Daichi's engagement! I hope this was suffice! It was done all in one day, but I had a lot of fun writing it.
> 
> Also, that moment between Akaashi and Tooru just kind of popped out of nowhere. I can totally see Tooru going to Akaashi for guidance. I think I'm gonna write an entire chapter of Tooru hanging out with Bokuto and Akaashi for a day - as if Akaashi's life isn't interesting enough being married to Bokuto. I'll probably even do one with Kageyama and Hinata. Won't that be fun?
> 
> Low key jumped on the bandwagon that Kuroo calls his significant other "kitten" because that absolutely melts my heart. I also want to low key recreate the match between Nekoma and Fukurodani by having Kousuke go to Fuku and Tooru go to Neko (or vice versa, I ain't picky). Or Kousuke could go to Nohebi and Tooru could go to Nekoma. Now I've got my brain cooking on this. Whoops.
> 
> As for that Iwaizumi!reincarnation AU: it honestly was just an idea I had been entertaining for the sake of humoring myself but that seriously might be a thing if I can think up of something decent after I'm done with this one and if you guys truly want one like that. I'm just worried that it'll become too repetitive since I've already done a reincarnation AU, you know? So. I'm leaving this up to you guys. If y'all would like to someday see an Iwaizumi!reincarnation AU after this series is done, I will start brainstorming and see what I can come up with. If not, I totally understand - it's not gonna hurt my feelings (I can still dream). 
> 
> Hopefully I will have come to a decision by the time this story is done.
> 
> Hit me up here on ao3 or tumblr at tenacioustooru if you'd like to submit an idea for this story, want to talk about this one or A Smile to the West, want to talk about volleydorks, or if you just wanna chat. I'd be elated to hear from you guys!


	10. Blurred Lines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A myriad of colors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 3

“Tooru, you’re sitting too close to the TV. Scoot back.”

The boy let out a small whine, tearing his eyes away from the colorful cartoon dancing on the screen. “But Daddy, I can’t see!”

Hajime looked up from the book he was reading. He had noticed that Tooru had been gradually moving closer and closer to the TV as the weeks went on, and at first he thought that it was just Tooru wanting to be as close to the TV as possible, much like his young niece used to when she was that age, but now it was starting to draw some concern.

Tooru, having thought that the conversation was over, turned his attention back to the TV and squinted.

Hajime put his book down. “Tooru, come here for a second.”

Tooru got to his feet, rubbing his head a bit. “My head has an owie.”

“Your head hurts?” Hajime asked. They had spent most of the day at home, and Tooru hadn’t been feeling particularly daring (like the one time he tried to jump into a pile of stuffed animals halfway across the room from his bed), so there weren’t any bruises. Then again, this was the second time this happened.

Suga had said that headaches were common in children so it wasn’t anything to worry about. Over-the-counter painkillers usually did the trick, so just follow the dosage guidelines and everything would be fine.

“In here, in here,” Tooru pat his head.

Hajime had to get to the bottom of this. “Big ow or little ow?”

“Little ow,” Tooru said.

Hajime nodded. “Okay, I’ll get you some medicine.” He held up his hand. “Can you count how many fingers I have up?”

Tooru squinted. “Four.”

Hajime was holding up three fingers. He ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled a bit. “I’m gonna get you some medicine. Sit tight, okay?”

“No yucky kind!” Tooru called after him.

Hajime chuckled a bit. To Tooru, every medicine was yucky. And after reading the dosage and giving the medication, Hajime made an appointment with a nearby optometrist on Monday morning when their office was open. Tooru opted to no longer try and watch TV and instead curled up in his father’s lap and fell asleep.

Hajime pulled out his phone, opening up the most recent message thread and typed. _**I think Tooru needs glasses.**_

Suga’s name lit up the screen minutes later. _**What’s going on?**_

_**He’s been sitting closer and squinting at the TV.**_ Hajime typed. _**And he got another headache. And he couldn’t even see how many fingers I was holding up. I was less than a foot away from him, Kou.**_

Suga’s message came through. _**Aww my poor Tooru-chan! Did you make an appointment with an optometrist?**_

_**Way ahead of you, Kou.** _

_**I have to ask these things, Haji. I still clearly remember those days that you could barely heat up a bottle.** _

Hajime deadpanned. _**Why are you bringing up old shit?**_

Suga’s smirk was almost palpable from the other end of the line. _**It’s my job. Let me know how my precious nephew does, yeah?**_

Of course.

**

“Daddy, where are we going?” Tooru asked as Hajime helped him put on his jacket.

“We’re going to see an eye doctor,” Hajime answered. “Remember when we talked about it last night before you went to bed? How they’re going to look at your eyes so they can find out why everything looks funny?”

“Oh yeah!” Tooru said. “I’m not gonna get a shot, right Daddy?”

Hajime shook his head and smiled. “No shots today, I promise. They may put drops in your eyes, but it won’t hurt. It may sting but only for a moment.”

Tooru nodded. “’kay.” 

On the way there, Tooru was bubbly and talkative, singing along to the radio. But when they arrived at the optometrist, he immediately latched onto Hajime’s leg, smiling shyly at the receptionist when he waved at him. He stuck close to Hajime as they waited, easing a little bit when another boy came in who looked to be around five, but never left his father’s side.

“Iwaizumi?” the doctor came out about ten minutes later. 

Hajime stood up, Tooru glued to his side as they were lead back to the examination room and clinging to his father as the woman greeted them. Hajime placed his hand on Tooru’s head comfortingly.

“Hi, Tooru-chan,” she said with a smile. “I’m Dr. Fujioka.”

Tooru’s grip tightened. “H-Hi.”

“I’m going to take a look at your eyes so we can see what’s going on, okay?” she said and looked at Hajime when she received his nod. “His head’s been hurting?”

Hajime nodded. “Yes. He’s been squinting at the TV, saying that he can’t see.”

“All right,” she said. “It’s a good thing you brought him in.” She looked back at Tooru. “Okay, Tooru-chan, if you’ll come over here with me to this chart.”

Tooru looked up at his father, concern in his eyes, so Hajime pat his head and smiled at him. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be right here.”

“You won’t leave?” Tooru asked.

“No, I won’t leave.”

Tooru nodded, following the doctor to a chart on the wall. “I’m not going to get a shot, am I?”

Fujioka laughed a bit. “No, no, no. I’m not that kind of doctor, Tooru-chan. I don’t give shots. I just look at your eyes.”

Tooru seemed to ease a bit more. “’kay.”

“Now, Tooru-chan, can you tell me how old you are?” 

“Um,” Tooru looked at his hands, counting on his fingers. He held up three.

“Wow, three years old already? You’re huge!”

Tooru giggled. “I can count to five now!”

“Really?” Fujioka marveled. “That’s amazing! Pretty soon you’ll be able to count to ten!”

“Daddy showed me!”

“That’s really amazing,” she said.

Hajime smiled.

Fujioka then showed Tooru the charts and all he had to was identify the shapes and numbers on them that were all different sizes and colors. Tooru nodded, determination on his face, and did as he was asked. He got some of the shapes and pictures right, but some of the much smaller ones threw him completely off. Tooru didn’t complain too much when the dilating eye drops were put in, and he was really excited when he was given sunglasses so the sunlight wouldn’t be as overwhelming.

“Well, he’s very nearsighted, so his prescription will be a little stronger,” Fujioka said. “But other than that, his eyes are healthy. His glasses will be ready within the next couple of days, and there’s a complementary pair included.” She smiled. “If your son is anything like mine, falling is a given.”

Hajime chuckled as he watched Tooru talk animatedly to the receptionist and gleefully accept a lollipop. “Clumsier than some, more graceful than others.”

Tooru came running over. “Daddy, look! I got a lollipop! Kimura-san gave it to me for being good for Fujioka-san! It’s cherry!” He showed off his lollipop proudly with a bright grin on his face.

“That’s great, son,” Hajime smiled. “Did you say thank you?”

“Oh!” Tooru turned back to the man behind the desk. “Thank you!”

Kimura waved, a smile lighting up his green eyes. “You’re very welcome, Tooru-chan.”

Hajime thanked them both and they headed home. But before that, Hajime took a picture of a grinning Tooru with his sunglasses and lollipop and sent it to Suga. His phone dinged moments later.

_**HE LOOKS SO CUTE THAT ONE IS DEFINITELY GOING IN THE PHOTO ALBUM.** _

Another message came through right after.

_**So I take the appointment went well?** _

Then another.

_**You know what never mind, I’m gonna stop by and you can tell me all about it because I’ve got the most hilarious story to tell you. And it involves Hinata, Kageyama, and a turtle.** _

As Hajime read that last message, he didn’t know if should be afraid or not.

“Daddy, can we go see Uncle Kou later?” Tooru inspected his sunglasses, holding them away from his face and blinking a bit.

Hajime smiled. “He’s gonna come over to our house. How does that sound?”

Tooru grinned. “Yeah!”

**

“Daddy, do I look funny?” Tooru asked as he stared at the phone in his hands, the front-facing camera showing his face, turning his head this way and that. The glasses felt weird on his face, but his daddy said that he’d get used to them.

He knew a few kids at his preschool who wore glasses and sometimes they were picked on because they looked “funny” and “weird”. He didn’t want to wear glasses, but now that he had them, his head and his eyes didn’t hurt anymore. He didn’t have to sit so close to the TV to see what the pictures were.

He could now see how absolutely _green_ his father’s eyes were, how there were varying flecks of the color within it and he could only marvel at the beauty of it. He could see the intensity, the hurricane, but also the unmistakable gentleness and warmth that made him feel safe whenever he was scared. Stability. A mountain that wouldn’t crumble no matter how hard it was shaken.

He loved his daddy’s eyes.

Tooru wanted to have pretty green eyes, but maybe his mommy had brown eyes so that’s why he did, too. Come to think of it, he didn’t even know his mommy –

“Not at all,” Hajime said, distracting Tooru’s train of thought. “In fact, you look way cool.”

“Really?”

“Definitely!” Suga said.

Tooru turned to look at him, now being able to take in the smallest details of his Uncle Kou’s face, such as the light, tiny scar that grazed along his chin. He reached out and touched it, catching the man by surprise. “What happened there?”

“Oh, I fell while I was ice skating with, uh, with a friend,” Suga answered.

“Ouch,” Tooru touched his own chin. It somehow felt really familiar to him, like he could feel the chill of the rink, hear the blades glide over the ice even though he’s never gone ice skating before in his entire life. He didn’t even know how to ride a bike yet! His tiny fingers ghosted over the scar again. “Big ow or little ow?”

Suga smiled. “Little ow.”

“Did your friend help you?” Tooru asked.

Suga nodded. “He sure did. He was so worried about me, he thought I would need to go to the hospital.”

Tooru’s eyes widened. “Did you have to go to the doctor?” Then he gasped a bit. “Did you have to get a shot?”

“Nope!” Suga ruffled his hair. “I just needed a Band-Aid and then I was all better.”

“Good,” Tooru sighed in relief. “I don’t like shots, it’s scary and it hurts but Daddy makes me get shots for medicine but I don’t wanna.” He pouted a bit.

“We don’t want you to get sick though, Tooru-chan,” Suga said. “Your dad loves you a whole lot and he doesn’t like to see you sick. You don’t like being sick, do you?”

Tooru shook his head vehemently. “Nu-uh!”

He remembered he caught a cold earlier this month and it wasn’t fun at all! His head felt hot but he was freezing, and he didn’t like feeling tired and achy all the time. His dad made soup and watched movies with him all day long which was nice, but he’d much rather do that when he wasn’t sick.

“So we have to get shots so we don’t get sick a lot,” Suga said.

“Do you have to get shots, Uncle Kou?” Tooru asked.

Suga nodded. “Sure do.”

“Do you have to get shots too, Daddy?” Tooru looked at his father.

Hajime smiled. “Yup.”

“It’s so scary though! It hurts!” Tooru said. How could they not see that needles were absolutely terrifying and that they had every reason to be afraid? It didn’t make sense! Needles were scary like thunder and the dark! He knew his daddy wasn’t afraid of thunder because he always protected him whenever it roared and rattled his bones. But _needles?_ They had to be afraid of those!

Hajime laughed a bit. “It doesn’t hurt so much when you’re older.”

“Really?” Tooru asked.

Suga grinned. “Really.”

Tooru fixed his glasses, focusing on the cedar hue of Suga’s eyes, a beautiful color that he hadn’t noticed before. A color that held love and security with the slightest bit of mischief, a color that invited your trust and cherished it, belonging to someone who you listen to you without judgment.

Maybe now Tooru could see the world a bit clearer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you omgitsdanniie for this idea!
> 
> I'm sorry if this wasn't up to par with the other chapters or even A Smile to the West. I'm going through some stuff right now with family and their constant pressure of what I'm going to do for the rest of my godforsaken life and it's really bummed me out. So if you still have an idea, send it in! I'll be more than happy to do it. I just apologize if updates will be later than they usually are.
> 
> Love you guys.


	11. Oceandust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hands full of fallen stars and comet tails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 9

He shielded his eyes from the light pooling into the room by covering his head with the blankets, letting out a small groan at the very idea of waking up. Why did morning have to arrive so fast? Man, he really shouldn’t have stayed up late watching those movies with –

Wait a minute.

Tooru sat up.

Today was the 20th. 

_July_ 20th.

His birthday. Today was his birthday! He was nine years old today!

Tooru sprung out of bed, the smell of breakfast being made finally hitting him, and he ran out of his room. Daichi and Hajime were both sitting at the table, coffee mugs in hand, when Tooru came bounding over and they smiled at him.

“Good morning, Dad! Good morning, Papa!” Tooru grinned, hugging them before sitting at the table.

“Good morning,” Hajime smiled. “Did you sleep well?”

Tooru hesitated for a split second, expecting a happy birthday and lots of hugs from them like his other birthdays, but nodded anyway. “Yup!” He sat up on his knees in the chair, his smile widening and practically radiating with excitement. “Do you know what day it is today?”

“Hm?” Hajime looked puzzled. “Well, of course we know what day it is, Tooru.”

Tooru beamed. They hadn’t forgotten!

“It’s Friday,” Daichi said. 

Tooru stopped, feeling suddenly light and heavy all at once. His parents… they forgot his birthday. They’ve never forgotten his birthday before! This didn’t make sense! He clenched his fists a bit, lowering his head. They _had_ been busy with work lately. Maybe… maybe it just slipped their minds. Yeah, that’s it! That had to be it! Even he almost forgot his birthday this morning so how could he expect them –

“Tooru,” Hajime said, a smile inching across his face. “Look under the table.”

Tooru blinked for a moment before doing so. And a large box wrapped in colorful space-themed paper with a huge red bow was there, and he felt excitement soar through him.  
He slipped from his chair, dragging out the box from underneath.

“You didn’t forget!” Tooru exclaimed.

“Of course we didn’t forget, silly,” Daichi chuckled. “We could never forget your birthday.”

Tooru’s fingers played with the edges of the wrapping paper, giving experimental tugs. “Can I open it?”

Hajime grinned. “Have at it, kiddo.”

Tooru ripped into the paper without restraint, and he honestly should’ve felt bad for ruining such a beautiful wrapping job, but he was far too thrilled to give a second thought. He only hoped that it was what he thought it was. He kept tearing at it, his eyes widening as he uncovered the box.

Was it?

Could it be?

He pulled back the last big strip and grinned.

It was!

It was the telescope he had been wanting! This one was for beginners rather than children, it was definitely a lot bigger, and he had been reading as many astronomy books as he could. He could name some of the constellations now, and the fact that he could be able to see them now enthralled him.

He ran over to his parents, hugging them both tight. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

Hajime laughed, ruffling his hair. “You like it?”

“I love it!” Tooru bounced over to it again. “Can we open it now? Can we? Please?”

Daichi smiled. “That’s actually only the first part of your birthday present. You’ll get the next part after breakfast.”

Tooru tilted his head. Curiosity ebbed and flowed through him as he went up to his parents again, eyes wide. “What is it?”

“You’ll just have to see after breakfast,” Hajime grinned.

**

After practically inhaling his food, despite both his father and his papa telling him to slow down and that his present wasn’t going anywhere (they honestly couldn’t even be all that reprimanding when they saw how absolutely thrilled Tooru was), they were now on their way out of Tokyo and headed… somewhere. His parents were staying tight-lipped and not budging an inch, not even when Tooru asked where they were going for about the hundredth time.

Tooru brought the Nintendo DS Kenma let him have to keep himself occupied on the drive, but he honestly couldn’t focus on the game flashing across the screen. He was too caught up in his hometown fading into the background and the rolling hills in between.

“Daddy, Papa – how come you won’t tell me where we’re going?” Tooru asked again a little more than an hour into the drive. “What’s my birthday present?”

Daichi chuckled from the passenger seat. “Patience, Tooru. Don’t worry, you’ll see.”

Hajime glanced at him from the rearview mirror, the smile evident in his eyes. “We’re almost there.”

Tooru sighed. “Okay.”

But he didn’t have to wait very long. After about another 15 minutes, skyscrapers and other buildings were looming ahead of them, and Tooru caught a glimpse of a sign on their way through.

“Chiba?” he asked, leaning forward to get a glimpse at his parents’ faces. “What’re we doing here?” But he didn’t receive an answer. In fact, his curiosity was only heightened when he was told to close his eyes, and Daichi even climbed in the backseat and covered his eyes to make sure he wasn’t peeking.

“Papa,” Tooru whined a bit, hoping that maybe doing so would get them to relent. Then he felt the car come to a stop and he could hear a rush of muffled voices outside the window. Where did they end up?

He heard the car door open and they helped him out, his eyes still closed of course, even as the onslaught of voices and footsteps grew louder now that he was outside. He focused on the gravel crunching beneath his shoes and the steady presence of his parents behind him.

“Ready?” Hajime asked.

Tooru nodded. He’d been ready. He had been kept in suspense and now it would all pay off.

Daichi moved his hands, and when Tooru’s eyes finally adjusted to the summer sun, his attention was immediately drawn to the huge sign that was overhead that read _Chiba Aquarium: Wildlife Preserve_ in bold, ornate letters and even though the drive had mellowed him out a bit, Tooru was revitalized all over again.

This was one of the largest wildlife preserves in Japan and he was _here._ His parents had taken him to one of the places he had always wanted to go for his birthday and he just couldn’t wait to get in there and see everything! Which is exactly what he did. He grabbed Daichi’s and Hajime’s hand and dragged them inside, into the cool air, into the world he had wanted to be immersed in.

Tooru had been to the Tokyo aquarium many times, and every time he went he always discovered something new, something that left him utterly fascinated. And while he cherished each of those times, he knew today would take the cake.

The sky and the sea, two completely different ends of the spectrum, and now he’d see them both in one day. To say he was excited was an absolute understatement. 

“That’s the banded rainbow fish!” Tooru pointed to one of the fish swimming nearest to the glass, its name evident from the vivid hues of its scales. “They originated in Australia and the males are usually more brightly colored and larger so they can attract females.” Then he moved to another. “That’s a large angelfish! They change colors a lot as they grow up.”

Hajime smiled, pointing to a creature swimming right above them. “What kind of shark is that?”

“That’s a whale shark!” Tooru said. “They’re the largest fish on the planet. They can grow up to 40 feet long and their entire skeleton is made out of cartilage. They eat plankton and can live up to 70 years!”

Tooru continued to point out all the different fish and the facts he knew about them from the hundreds of documentaries he had watched on TV, marveling at their bright colors and fluttering tails, as they walked through a tunnel. The fish and whale sharks surrounded him, and the way the light hit the water made it seem like the floor was rippling beneath his feet.

He was watching some pufferfish swim by when Hajime’s phone went off. He didn’t pay too much attention to the conversation, it was probably work related anyway, but when his father called out to him, saying that there was someone that wanted to meet him, he was confused.

Tooru followed his parents back into the warm summer afternoon where they met an aquarium employee who led them to a separate area for authorized personnel.

“Dad, where are we going?” Tooru asked.

“We’re going to meet an old friend of mine,” Hajime said just as a man with sandy brown hair dressed in a wetsuit with the aquarium logo on it approached them.

“Iwaizumi-san!” he smiled. “It’s been a while.” 

“It has, Yahaba,” Hajime said.

He looked at Daichi. “Sawamura-san, I hope you’ve been doing well.”

“I’ve been great,” Daichi smiled.

Tooru looked this guy over, inching closer to Daichi’s side. Who the heck was he and how did he know his parents? He kind of looked familiar, like he’d seen him somewhere before, in a blue and white uniform… Tooru continued to watch them talk, trying to fit these pieces together. The first game against Karasuno – no, the second game, that’s right. He wasn’t on the court a whole lot, what position did he play? Wing spiker? No, definitely not. Middle blocker? No, not that either. He wasn’t the libero. So what position did he – wait a minute!

“You’re the other setter for Aoba Jousai!” Tooru blurted out without really meaning to, effectively catching the adults’ attention. “Number 6!”

The man named Yahaba blinked for a moment, trading glances with Hajime and Daichi, before looking back at Tooru. “Yeah, I was. How in the world did you know that? Did your dad tell you?”

“I saw you in the recorded matches on TV! Against Karasuno!” Tooru said. “You were really good!”

Yahaba smiled. “Are you gonna play volleyball too, Tooru?”

Tooru nodded. “Uh-huh! I’m gonna play when I get into junior high!”

“What position?”

“Wing spiker!”

Yahaba laughed. “I expected nothing less from Iwaizumi’s and Sawamura’s son.”

Tooru felt his chest swell. Someone… someone had recognized that he was their son. Finally, someone didn’t immediately ask if they were babysitting for a friend or if he was adopted. He hated it when people asked those questions. He knew they didn’t mean any harm, but it still hurt. It still made him question everything all over again, it brought out the differences when he started to ignore them again.

To see that Yahaba had acknowledged he was their son right off the bat… well, this day just kept getting better and better.

“So your parents told me that you love marine life, is that true?” Yahaba asked.

Tooru nodded. “Yup! I watch a lot of documentaries about it.”

“And do you have a favorite animal?”

Tooru nodded again. “The orca.”

“Well, do I have a surprise for you,” Yahaba smiled. “Come over here with me. There’s someone I want you to meet.”

Tooru followed Yahaba, with Hajime and Daichi close behind, and they approached a large water tank. They walked up some metal steps to the very top that overlooked the surface, and there was another man standing there with short blond hair that had two dark, dyed stripes along the side of his head, just above his ears. But he wasn’t what ultimately got Tooru’s attention.

It was the large killer whale breaching the surface, whistling at them. Tooru couldn’t take his eyes off of it, off the way the water reflected off her smooth skin or her intelligent brown eyes, not even as Yahaba asked the other man, whose name was Kyoutani, to grab some fish.

“She’s beautiful,” Tooru murmured.

“Her name is Ai,” Yahaba said. “She washed up on the beach nearby when she hurt her flipper. She’s only about a year old, so me and the other marine biologists here have worked hard to take care of her.”

“Is she okay?” Tooru asked.

Yahaba nodded. “Yup. We’ll be releasing her next week actually.”

Ai swam around and chittered at them, slapping her tail excitedly at the water before coming back to Tooru and Yahaba.

“She’s an absolute sweetheart,” Yahaba smiled. “You can pet her if you want.”

Tooru’s eyes sparkled. “Really?”

“Sure thing. Kyoutani is coming back with some fish so you can give a few to her.”

Tooru reached out his hand slowly, and Ai met him halfway by pushing her snout into his palm, and let out small clicks in response. A grin broke out along Tooru’s face, and he giggled a bit as she sang to him. And while he could see that Ai was gentle, he also knew that orcas were strong and powerful animals, predators of the ocean. 

And he respected that strength.

“She likes you a lot,” Yahaba smiled. “You’re the second person she’s opened up to like that, the first person being Kyoutani.”

“Wow…” Tooru said, continuing to ghost his fingers along her nose. “Dad, Papa – look!” He waved at them with his free hand.

Kyoutani came back with a bucket of fish and a scowl on his face. “Here.”

“Thank you,” Yahaba said, handing one of the fish to Tooru. “There you go.”

Tooru tossed the fish into Ai’s open mouth and laughed when she misted him with water from her blowhole before she dove back in.

Yahaba smiled. “Did I forget to mention she’s a bit mischievous?”

Tooru took off his glasses and wiped his face, laughing. “Maybe.”

They stayed at the aquarium a while longer, Tooru thanking Yahaba and Kyoutani over and over again for letting him see Ai, and left with some souvenirs. Tooru nabbed a beluga whale plush for Kousuke (because while Kousuke wouldn’t dare admit it, he still had quite a few) while he grabbed an orca one for himself.

“Did you have a good time?” Hajime asked on the drive back.

“I had a great time!” Tooru said. “It was so much fun! Thank you so much for taking me! It was amazing and I loved every second of it!”

They laughed and Daichi looked at him. “Good. That’s what we were hoping for.”

And needless to say, Tooru was more than a little surprised to find that everyone had planned a party for him when he returned home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this. I spent a few days working on it but I struggled a bit, and my family wasn't making things any easier since apparently writing for a living isn't suitable. Anyway. I'm hoping to get back on track. I'm so used to updating every other day, not doing so really throws off my equilibrium.
> 
> I've wanted to write something for Tooru's birthday for a while now and at first I thought of a planetarium, but then I went with an aquarium instead because who doesn't like to go to one? I'm also experimenting with Omegaverse so we'll see where that takes us.
> 
> I'm not sure how much longer this fic is gonna be - it might be a little longer than A Smile to the West but I'm not entirely sure. I also need to get back to working on my actual novel that I've been editing for almost a year now.
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry if this wasn't any good. I struggled.
> 
> Thank y'all for sticking with me through this. You've all been wonderful and there aren't enough words in any language to express my immense gratitude.


	12. Swing Life Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If love is a labor, I'll slave 'til the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Four months old

He knew that being a parent wasn’t going to be easy, much less being a single parent.

He knew there would be a lot of dirty diapers, sleepless nights, and doubts. But he also knew there would be a lot of smiles, laughs, first words and first steps. He cherished every moment, even if it was three in the morning and Tooru wouldn’t stop crying.

When.

 _When_ it was three in the morning and Tooru wouldn’t stop crying.

Like tonight.

Hajime had been trying to calm him for almost 30 minutes straight. He tried murmuring comforting words, rubbing his back, but nothing seemed to work and he didn’t know what else to do. Tooru wasn’t hungry, and his diaper was clean. Usually, Tooru would cry himself to sleep, but that didn’t seem to be a possibility tonight. Now that Tooru was getting bigger, the crying fits he was prone to had lessened a considerable degree, but they still happened more often than not. And Hajime was used to these crying fits by this point, they happened enough where being tired became more of a lifestyle than a choice.

But that didn’t mean other people were used to it.

Hajime was surprised he heard the knocking over Tooru’s wails, but he trudged to the door anyway, opening it to reveal a very angry neighbor. 

“Shut that damn kid up already! Some of us are trying to sleep!” the man barked, looking more like an annoyed bird with his hair all over the place.

Hajime deadpanned, leaning against the doorjamb. He was not awake enough to show any semblance of patience. “I’m sorry, you seem to have forgotten that babies cry.”

Tooru’s crying only grew louder, and Hajime knew that it was because he was no longer at the infant’s side. At four months old, Tooru’s separation anxiety continued to burgeon, and there would be days where he’d cling to Hajime and no one else, despite loving Suga and Yachi’s presence.

Tonight would be no different.

“Learn to quiet that brat or find somewhere else to live!” the man stormed away, slamming Hajime’s apartment door shut.

Tooru started screaming and Hajime hurried back to him, pulling his son into his arms and rubbing his back. “It’s okay, Tooru. It’s okay. I’m here.”

When the wails eased into sobs, Hajime bundled Tooru up in a jacket and a blanket with a beanie before slipping on a coat himself with his shoes and heading outside. The last thing he needed was another angry tenant yelling at him, and Tired Hajime was more quick-tempered than Rested Hajime and Tired Hajime didn’t need to be getting into any fights because people didn’t seem to understand that babies got fussy sometimes and seemed to cry for no particular reason and should know that.

Hajime took a deep breath.

The night was chilly now that December was in full swing, but the sky was clear, and what few stars that could be seen shone bright, seemingly in a competition with the lights from the city. There was a small clearing a little less than a block away from his apartment where some of the children would play during the day, and it was late (or early) enough that there shouldn’t be anyone to bother.

It was as good a place as any.

Tooru continued to cry on the way there, his sobs hitting the open sky instead of a ceiling, and Hajime rocked him a bit, humming the song that he remembered his mom singing to him when he was little. Granted, he didn’t know how well he sounded (Suga said that Hajime had a very nice voice after he heard Hajime singing in the shower one afternoon; it was one of those days where Suga just let himself in and Hajime thought that he had enough time to be in and out before Suga arrived but apparently that hadn’t been the case). 

Nice singing voice or not, he was just hoping it’d help ease Tooru.

Sobs slowly faded into sniffles the more Hajime hummed to him, and Tooru eventually opened his eyes to look at his father, tears still rounding out along his cheeks. He quieted, staring with wide, doe eyes and fisted his hand into Hajime’s shirt.

“Hey there,” Hajime smiled at him, stroking back his wild, sweeping tufts of hair. “You like that, huh?”

Tooru blinked at him, cooing a bit.

Hajime started humming again, right back where he left off, his deeper voice having to improvise a lower range since his mother usually carried a soft soprano tone for the lullaby, and he meandered around the small clearing. He began singing the words he knew by heart, softly, warmly, even in the breeze nipping at his ears. He remembered always feeling safe when he heard it, expelling his deepest fears, and he hoped it would have the same effect on his own son.

Tooru cooed, a wide smile spreading across his face. “Bah… beh…”

Hajime smiled. “Hi, Tooru.”

Tooru continued to croon, his hand reaching out to touch Hajime’s cheek, tracing the underside of his jaw with tiny fingers, as his coffee eyes started to flutter shut, and he was soon snuggling into his father’s chest, unable to fight off sleep any longer. 

Hajime sighed in relief. _There we go._

**

They slept in a little later than usual, and Hajime still had to make a quick stop at the grocery store for tonight’s dinner. He didn’t really know what he was going to make, anything was better than Suga’s Friday Surprise which would undoubtedly leave Hajime questioning his life choices for the next week and a half, but he figured something was better than nothing.

Suga had tagged along with him to the grocery store, intent on finding something for dinner if Hajime couldn’t make up his mind with a mischievous glint in his eye but an innocent smile on his lips. “Heartburn will only be the start when I’m done, so you’d better pick, Haji! For the sake of you and everyone else.”

Since Bokuto, Akaashi, and Kuroo would be joining them tonight, and the fact that it was “cold as balls outside” according to Kuroo, Hajime had settled for sukiyaki tonight. He was now waiting in line at the checkout as Suga hurried off to grab something he had forgotten, and Tooru cooed at him from his place in the sling, reaching up and placing his tiny hand to his father’s face, and Hajime kissed his palm.

Tooru squealed. “Baba!”

Hajime chuckled. “Hi.”

The woman in front of them turned around, a smile on her face. She was probably in her mid-forties, and her green eyes shone as she looked at Tooru. “He’s precious. What’s his name?”

“Tooru,” Hajime said.

“Hi, Tooru-chan,” she waved.

Tooru put his head to Hajime’s chest, hands clutching at his shirt, and simply stared with wary eyes.

“A shy one, isn’t he?” she remarked and looked at Hajime. “And so well-behaved. But I’m sure your wife appreciates you taking him out on your errands.”

Hajime wasn’t exactly sure how to respond to that. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, no wife. Just me and Tooru.”

She halted almost completely. “It’s just you two?”

Hajime nodded. “Yes.”

“Aren’t you worried about how he’s going to grow up? Without a mother?”

That made Hajime stop. “I’m sorry?”

He had to have heard her wrong. He must have. There was no way that –

“I don’t mean anything rude by it, but children raised in single parent households are at a disadvantage. They just don’t do as well in life as they could if they were raised by two parents,” she said.

Yup, he heard her right.

“That child needs to be with his mother. I’m sure you’re a wonderful person, but he needs the love and nourishment of his mother. How can you expect to be both mother and father? It’s just not possible. Single parents don’t have what it takes to raise a child – plain and simple.”

Hajime felt something within him turn sour, angry, at the audacity of the woman in front of him. Single parents don’t have what it takes? Children in single parent households are at a disadvantage? Tooru would be better off with his mother? With a woman that he didn’t even know?

Yes, he knew that one day Tooru might ask if he had a mother, where his mother was, and Hajime would have to tell him the truth about his adoption. He knew that. He knew that Tooru wasn’t his biological child but dammit, he woke up every day loved Tooru like he was. He didn’t expect being a single parent to be easy. But he was trying his best.

“You know, he probably would be,” Hajime started, a sharp edge in his tone as Tooru started to whimper in his arms, “if she didn’t abandon him. I adopted him, for your information.” He gently patted Tooru’s head to bring the baby some comfort.

She sighed. “I’m sorry to hear that. But perhaps you should’ve considered the fact that you were a single parent before you adopted him. That boy needs the best he can get in life.”

Hajime had a retort on his tongue, something inside of him snap because how dare she, when the person behind him in line spoke up first. And it was a face he could hardly forget. Especially when it was on the other side of the volleyball net.

“Excuse me, I’m sorry I couldn’t help but overhear,” the man said, his smile kind, but there was a layer of something that Hajime couldn’t quite put his finger on. “Did you just say that this man was incapable of raising a child on his own and, well, that children of single parents are at a disadvantage?”

“Yes, I did,” the woman said, tone firm.

“Ah, I see,” he said. “Well ma’am, first off, who even are you?”

“Ogawa Asami.”

“No, I mean _who are you._ As in, who are you to say that things won’t work out for them simply because of their life at home? Are you some kind of expert on the subject?

“All I’m concerned with is how that baby is going to grow up. I just want the best for him,” she said.

“Are you married? Do you have kids? Did you grow up with both parents?” 

“Yes.”

“Then allow me to introduce myself, the name’s Semi Eita. I also lived in a two parent household. And let me tell you, life at home was great for me, if you count the fact that my father knew his alcohol better than his kids and my mother was gone for days at a time before returning home.”

She scoffed. “Young man –”

“My older brother didn’t go to high school because he was too busy working to keep food on the table for me and my little sister so I guess you could say that we were raised by him. And I think we turned out fucking fantastic. So take your backward, ignorant views somewhere else because no one wants you breathing the same air as them to express it.”

The woman huffed before storming off, grumbling something, and Hajime turned to Semi. He had only seen Semi on the other side of the net as a pinch server and living up to that position. His serves were solid, strong, carrying on the Shiratorizawa reputation as a powerhouse.

“Thank you for that,” Hajime said after a minute.

Semi shrugged. “No big deal. Just keep doing right by the kid and everything will be golden.” His dark eyes were sharp, focused. “Don’t listen to what those assholes say, Iwaizumi. I’m just on the outside looking in, but your son seems happy and healthy. I’ll see you around.” He gave a small wave before leaving, another young man meeting up with him that Hajime also recognized. Shirabu, he thought.

Suga came hurrying back soon after that, two more packages of noodles in hand. “Can’t believe I forgot to grab some more. With the way Bokuto and Kuroo eat, there’s no way we’ll – hey, you okay?”

Hajime looked at his friend. “Yeah, I’m good.”

**

To say that Suga was pissed when Hajime told him what had happened at the grocery store was an understatement. He was _livid_ and nearly went back to the store in hopes that the woman was still there and give her a piece of his mind. But he instead chose to focus on helping Hajime make dinner and tending to Tooru whenever the baby would cry from his playpen for attention.

But was a good thing that Suga grabbed those extra two packages of noodles because Bokuto alone inhaled four bowls, not including the three that Kuroo ate, but it was nice seeing them all again. Tooru was absolutely delighted, seemingly unable to choose who he wanted to stay with for more than five minutes because he kept reaching out to someone else as soon as he was in another’s arms.

Hajime was now bathing Tooru before bed (maybe the bath would relax him enough to get a decent night’s sleep), and as he watched Tooru kick his tiny legs in the water he found that the woman’s words kept plaguing his thoughts. He grew up in a two parent household, so would Tooru really be okay in the long run? Was he doing well enough by Tooru?

And then he would remember what Semi had said and some of that uncertainty would melt away.

Hajime always had his doubts, every day in fact, if he was doing the right thing, but now…

Tooru squealed, splashing at the water’s surface with his hands in excitement, bringing Hajime’s attention and that made the infant grin a toothless grin. “Baba! Bah! Bah!” 

Hajime smiled.

Yeah.

He was doing a pretty good job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I recently fell in love with Semi and now I have a problem. I reread the pages that featured Semi to get a better feel of his personality, and even though he hasn't been shown much, and he's kind of hot-headed at times so while he's usually serious, I feel like he'd jump in on something that didn't seem right to him like some lady bringing down single parents because "fuck you you're ignorant and i'm going to tell you why." I dunno. That's just a personal headcanon of mine. As someone who grew up with a single parent, it's tough.
> 
> I'm definitely going to add chapters that are in Suga's and Akaashi's point of view so be ready for those!
> 
> And I've gotten some questions as to what my book is about so here's a shoddy summary:
> 
> "Alyxander wonders if he'll ever see the sun rise from under his father's iron fist. Elliot has been treated for almost every illness under the sun but still remains in critical condition - and it's not because of the cancer. Darren struggles to keep custody of his younger brother on small paychecks and ramen noodles. Samuel tries to identify himself and where his true faith lies in a family primarily focused on unity and afternoon prayer. Within a sleepy town of Maine, perhaps matters behind closed doors need to be opened."
> 
> I've been working on it for almost two years now and I think I'm finding the motivation for it again. Does it sound interesting enough? My family and friends have said so (apparently I made them cry) but I'm not sure. However, I _will_ finish this story before going back to that. And I've already got ideas going for the reincarnated!Iwaizumi AU going so we'll see where that goes and if I plan to work on both at the same time depending on where inspiration lies.
> 
> Super random and impossible in the same universe (this is fanfiction though), but can you imagine if little Tooru and little Hajime ever crossed paths? IMAGINE IT. *low key wants to write this* I'm going too far with this AU please stop me. 
> 
> This was a really long note, I'm sorry.


	13. Feel Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feeling better since you know me; a lonely soul but that's the old me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

Koushi considered himself very blessed.

First off, he had a roof over his head, clothes on his back, and food in his fridge. He had a job that he enjoyed and one that provided. He also had a mother and a father who adored him and his sister and also each other. He had great friends who supported him. And a man who loved him.

A man with eyes like fire and kisses like rain, peppering him softly, taking his breath away, drowning him – a welcome asphyxiation. A man who whispered love like prayers, sang it like a hymn, to him and against him every morning and every night. Warm fingers slipped under his shirt, thumbs tracing into the V of his hips, hands pulling him closer before tracing along the contours of his back, along the large, black inked crow that burst into flight across his shoulder blades.

Slightly chapped but still soft lips moved against his own, making his breath catch, sending sparks across his flesh and making his hair stand on end. There was something about Kuroo that drove him absolutely crazy. He couldn’t explain it and if he was being honest, he really didn’t want to. It was unknown yet exhilarating. Something that he never wanted to let go – ever.

Kuroo, in his own way, was like the sun with his own gravitational pull. Bright, and burning, and beautiful. And Koushi considered himself very lucky to be able to stand so close without being burned, to be encased in warmth when he had spent so many of his days in the cold.

“They’re gonna be here any minute now, Tetsu,” Koushi breathed, his voice hoarse and barely above a whisper despite every fiber of his being running on overdrive.

Kuroo kissed a freckle that rested just along the underside of Koushi’s jaw, smirking. “It’ll be fine, Kou.”

Koushi laughed a bit, relaying a small smack on Kuroo’s arm because the latter knew it tickled there. “I am not scarring my little nephew simply because you can’t keep your hands to yourself.”

“You act like you’re any better,” Kuroo said, giving Koushi’s side a small poke and making the latter jump. His smirk broadened. “And he’s _our_ nephew – get it straight.”

Koushi returned it. “That’s debatable.” He kissed Kuroo, reveling in the crackle of flames that often came with it, and his smirk melted into a smile. “I love you.”

Kuroo smiled, hands threading through silvery strands of hair. “I love you, too.”

There was a knock on the door at that moment, and Koushi lifted himself from his place on Kuroo’s lap to answer it. And as soon as he opened the door, little Tooru came bounding in, hugging him immediately. His other blessing. He never, ever expected to have such a joy like Tooru in his life. He’d been there from the very beginning, helping Hajime (and now Daichi) through anything and everything that came their way.

Koushi always wanted kids of his own one day, and part of that dream was living vicariously through Hajime and Daichi, but he wasn’t sure how Kuroo felt about starting a family. Granted, Koushi had never brought up the idea of adopting a child yet, and Kuroo was great with kids which made him feel a lot better, but that didn’t mean that Kuroo would want one to call his own. 

He wanted to be meticulous in every big decision he made, which is partially why he hadn’t brought up the idea of marriage up to Kuroo yet because what if Kuroo wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment even after living together for almost five years? Koushi wanted to be absolutely sure of this. He needed to be.

Koushi laughed. “Hey!”

“Hi, Uncle Kou!” Tooru grinned.

Koushi hugged him tight and fixed Tooru’s askew glasses. “Man, you’ve really gotta stop growing. You’re gonna be taller than me one day!”

“That’s not very hard to do, kitten,” Kuroo glided over, standing next to Koushi (and the latter knew exactly what he was doing) and grinned. “Hey, Sawamura.”

Daichi smiled. “Hey. Thanks for offering to take Tooru out for the day. He’s been looking forward to this all week.”

“That’s because my little munchkin knows who the best uncles are and ignores whatever that silly old owl has to say,” Kuroo mussed Tooru’s hair.

Tooru grinned. “Don’t tell Uncle Boku that.”

Kuroo scoffed. “I ain’t scared of him. We still gotta show him who the real deal is, remember?”

“Does that mean we get to have a practice match?” Tooru sparkled with anticipation.

“It sure does!” Kuroo then looked at Suga and Daichi. “I’m down for it later if you guys are. I totally understand if you don’t want to get your asses handed to you.”

Koushi’s brow twitched and there was a dark look in Daichi’s eyes. 

“You’re on, alley cat,” Koushi smirked. “And don’t get your feelings hurt when we beat you.”

 _“If_ you beat me,” Kuroo said.

Tooru was practically buzzing with excitement. “I’m so ready for this! Let’s do it!”

“Kageyama and Hinata will definitely be excited,” Daichi said.

“We can tell them when we meet up at the rink,” Suga smiled, all confidence and no innocence. “Name a time and place.”

“Tomorrow!” Tooru chimed in. “Let’s do it tomorrow! Kousuke can even join in!” He looked at everyone. “He can, can’t he?”

“Of course he can,” Daichi smiled. “You can show us just how much you two have improved.”

“Yeah!” Tooru cheered.

Koushi’s phone dinged in his pocket as Daichi, Kuroo, and Tooru went back and forth, and it was a message from Hinata.

_**Tobio won’t stop complaining about it being cold when are you coming Sugaaaaaaaa?** _

Koushi smiled as he typed. _**Hold your horses, we’re coming. Tooru just got here.**_

Hinata’s response was lightning fast. _**PLEASE HURRY**_

We’re leaving now. Suga then pocketed his phone. “Kageyama and Hinata are waiting for us. You guys ready to go?”

“Born ready!” Tooru and Kuroo gave a thumbs-up. 

Daichi smiled. “You guys have fun. I’ll be back to pick you up in a few hours, okay Tooru?”

Tooru nodded. “All right.”

“We can drop him off at home, it’s not a problem,” Kuroo said. 

“Are you sure?” Daichi asked.

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal,” Suga answered. “We’ll be on that side of town anyway.”

Daichi nodded. “Thanks, guys. Have fun.”

“We will!” Tooru waved.

**

They arrived at the mall about ten minutes later with intentions to hit the array of stores later, but were for now heading towards the large ice rink on the first floor. It had initially been Hinata idea to go ice skating since he was apparently a pro at it. Kageyama and Kuroo wanted to learn, and that included Tooru when he had mentioned wanting to try it the last time he was at the mall.

Koushi almost forgot the chill of it, even in the heat of the afternoon. It felt nice, tingling along his arms and up his neck. He hadn’t been to the ice rink in so long. Well, not since Oikawa had passed away all those years ago. Memories of Oikawa lingered in places more than others, and this just happened to be one of them. And while he had moved on, while he did consider himself happy, Oikawa would always be there.

After all, it was Oikawa who had taught him how to ice skate in the first place. In the beginning, Koushi was apprehensive about getting on the ice because he had never done this before in his life (he didn’t think rollerblading and ice skating were the same thing), but Oikawa’s constant guidance helped him gain confidence.

There weren’t that many people on the rink today, which was nice, and Koushi was lacing up his skates when he heard it.

_“Come on, Kou-chan! Slowpoke!”_

Koushi’s head snapped up, looking for the one that held such a familiar voice. A missed voice, one he undoubtedly wanted to hear again, even if it was for a moment. But he only saw Tooru being led onto the ice with Hinata’s help and Kageyama and Kuroo struggling to keep their balance next to them. 

“Come on, Uncle Kou!” Tooru said.

“I’m coming,” Koushi smiled and ran his hands through his hair. He must’ve been hearing things.

He glided out almost expertly onto the ice, his body going through most of the motions of its own accord, and he skated over to help Tooru so Hinata could be there for Kageyama.

“You sure you don’t need help, Tetsu?” Koushi asked, watching his boyfriend try and stay vertical.

Kuroo wobbled a bit. “Give me a minute, I’ll get the hang of it. Take care of Tooru, yeah?” He grinned, and there was a certain degree of uncertainty that was rarely ever seen on his face.

Koushi couldn’t help but laugh, shaking his head, taking Tooru’s hands in his to help guide him. “All right, if you’re sure. I don’t wanna hear any complaining when you bust.”

“What’re you talking about? I won’t bust – whoa!” Kuroo tried to regain what little stability he had before falling right on his ass.

Koushi and Tooru both burst into peals of laughter, and even though Kuroo pouted for a bit, a giant grin broke out across his face and he laughed too, even as he tried to stand.

“Tetsu-chan, do you need help?” Tooru asked this time, still laughing.

“Make me feel better and fall at some point too, okay?” Kuroo chuckled.

Tooru grinned. “I’ll get back to you on that.”

Hinata came over, skidding to a stop next to Koushi. “I can teach Tooru if you wanna help out Kuroo.” He glanced at the former Nekoma captain. “Seems like he’s having trouble.”

Tooru nodded vehemently. “Yeah! You help Tetsu-chan, Uncle Kou. I can go with Shou-chan and Tobio-chan!” His grin slipped into a smirk. “Besides, it’s kinda funny when Tobio-chan gets frustrated.”

Koushi laughed, mussing Tooru’s hair. “All right, all right.” He coasted over to Kuroo, assisting the latter in finally getting to his feet. He knew that Kuroo was stubborn and independent, but he also knew that Kuroo learned quickly and would have this whole thing down in no time. He smiled. “There.”

Kuroo grinned. “Thanks, kitten.”

Koushi honestly couldn’t remember how many times he had fallen flat on his ass when he first learned how to ice skate. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little intimidated by the fact that Oikawa seemed to be practically floating across the ice while he was still working on finding his footing. It seemed like Oikawa could’ve seriously made a career out of professional ice skating if volleyball never worked out.

Koushi held Kuroo’s hands in his, trying to remember what he’d been told when he’d first been on the ice, and guided him around the rink.

_“It’s easy, Kou-chan! Really!” Oikawa said as he moved in circles around the other._

_Koushi rolled his eyes, still focusing all of his efforts on not falling. “Says the person who’s been doing it for who knows how long.”_

_“Two years but that’s beside the point,” Oikawa stopped beside him, taking Koushi’s hands in his. “You’re a quick learner, Kou-chan. I know you can do it.”_

_“You have way too much faith in me, Tooru,” Koushi said._

_“Always will.”_

Koushi smiled as Kuroo was finally getting the hang of it the longer they spent on the rink, enough where Kuroo felt comfortable enough to let Koushi’s hands go and try it for himself.

“Can you do any cool tricks, Kou?” Kuroo asked. “Like those people on TV do?”

“Pfft, I wish,” Koushi said. “I haven’t ice skated in years. I’m actually pretty rusty.” He could feel his balance almost give out on him when he did a few experimental rounds around the rink to get a feel for it again, remembering the first time he slipped and fell on the ice.

_“Kou-chan! Are you okay?” Oikawa came rushing over, skidding to a stop and helping Koushi stand up._

_“Yeah, I’m fine,” Koushi nodded._

_“Your chin! It’s bleeding!” Oikawa put his hands to his lover’s face, craning Koushi’s neck to get a better look. “You’re not gonna have to go to the hospital are you?”_

_Koushi laughed. “No, Tooru – it’s just a scratch. I’ll be fine.”_

_“I don’t want my precious Kou-chan to wither away!” Oikawa suddenly wrapped him in a tight hug._

_“Tooru, no! I’m gonna fall again!”_

_And sure enough, they both toppled to the ice. Oikawa had somehow managed to flip their positions where he’d be the one on his back and not Koushi. Oikawa laughed, asking Koushi if he was okay, and even in the chilliness of the rink, Koushi had never felt so warm._

“Nah, you’re pretty good at this,” Kuroo said.

Koushi smiled. “Thanks.”

He watched as Tooru easily grasped the concept of ice skating, much like Koushi expected him to, and now taking slow laps around the rink while Kageyama clung to his boyfriend for dear life, spewing curses in the midst of Hinata’s laughter.

“Uncle Kou, look! I’m doing it!” Tooru exclaimed, a bright grin on his face.

“That’s great, Tooru!” Koushi said and took Kuroo’s hand in his again, looking at him. “Come on, you need a few practice runs around the rink.”

Kuroo nodded, letting Koushi lead until his foot suddenly slipped out from under him and he fell to his knees. Koushi almost toppled with him but braced himself in enough time.

“Are you okay?” Koushi asked. He knew how bad falling on the knees hurt, especially on ice.

But instead of receiving an answer, Kuroo straightened himself, on one knee only and still holding onto Koushi’s hand, and reached into his pocket. A small leather box was in Kuroo’s hand now and what in the world was he doing?

“Tetsurou?” Koushi started.

“Sugawara Koushi – will you marry me?”

Koushi didn’t even realize nearly everyone had come to a standstill, that literally everything in him had come to a standstill, waiting for the answer he knew before the question was even asked. Tears played at his eyes, stinging a bit, but he couldn’t believe that this was happening here, right now, and –

“Yes,” Koushi said, clearing his throat a bit and nodding. “Yes, I will!”

And when he kissed Kuroo, he knew that was the closest he'd get to ever being near the sun.

Not like it burned anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter didn't so much focus on Tooru as it did focus on Suga's relationship with Kuroo and Oikawa. I dunno, this chapter just kinda came to me and I felt like sharing it. I hope y'all liked it.
> 
> In other news, the Iwaizumi!reincarnation AU is a go! I'm getting the first chapter all planned out now so be prepared!
> 
> Also, I can probably predict maybe two more chapters of this and then being done, maybe three if I'm feeling inspired. It's shorter than planned and honestly I don't even know. I hate leaving stories incomplete before going on to a new one (which will be the reincarnated Iwaizumi fic). I think I've got the perfect ending to this and I can't wait to share it with you guys. Thank you all so much for your kind words and support. You've all been seriously amazing.


	14. Ace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something to prove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 12

“This gym is _huge!”_

Tooru laughed as Kousuke marveled at the sheer scale of the Tokyo Gym compared to the one at their school. “A lot different being down here on the court than in the stands, isn’t it?” 

“You’re darn right it is!” Kousuke said. “Don’t tell me you get to practice here all the time, Iwa-chan!”

“I don’t get to practice here all the time.”

“Don’t lie to me either!”

“I’m not though,” Tooru grinned. “I mean, sometimes I get to hang out with the national team, and Tobio-chan and Shou-chan give me pointers but other than that I don’t really come here all that often.”

Kousuke ran over and shook his friend’s shoulders. “You’re telling me that you get pointers from Kageyama Tobio and Hinata Shouyou?! The same Kageyama and Hinata that do the god-like quick?!”

“Well, yeah –”

“Why didn’t you say anything?!”

Tooru shrugged, adjusting the strap of his gym bag that had his workout clothes in it. “I guess I don’t really think about it anymore. They’ve been around for as long as I can remember, they’re practically family now.”

Comical tears streamed down Kousuke’s face. “You’re so lucky, Iwa-chan.” He sniffled. “You probably know the ins and outs of their techniques.”

“I don’t actually practice with them all the time, you know. Just because I watch their matches doesn’t mean I know everything about their techniques,” Tooru said. “Dad and Papa are a lot better at dealing with this than I am.”

“And even then,” Daichi said as he came in with Hajime, toting their own gym bags that had a change of clothes, “we’re caught off-guard by it more often than not.”

Kousuke suddenly perked up. “It’s settled then! We’ve got to come up with our own god-like quick!”

“I’m nowhere near as fast as Shou-chan, Kou. It wouldn’t work,” Tooru interjected.

Kousuke grabbed his shoulders again, fire in his eyes. “You’re a wing spiker, aren’t you? You’re Iwaizumi Tooru, aren’t you? You can do anything you set your mind to! Now let’s get to work!”

Kousuke had been working with Suga and Akaashi on occasion to practice different setting techniques ever since they were little kids, but he always craved to know more, to be better. He, like Tooru, was insatiable when it came to volleyball. And Tooru guessed that’s why they clicked so well.

“I guess that means you’re ready to kick some owl butt,” Kuroo said as he walked into the gym with Suga, a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Don’t get arrogant, you mangy feline!” Bokuto said from behind them, holding Hana in his arms. “We haven’t even started yet!”

“It’ll be over before it begins,” Kuroo smirked.

Suga simply moved past them, followed by Akaashi, smiling at Tooru and the others. “Hey!”

“So when’s the wedding?” Hajime asked, smiling.

“We were thinking a spring wedding but we’re not sure yet,” Suga said. “I’m honestly still trying to process all of this.”

“I’ll be Kuroo’s best man, of course!” Bokuto chimed in, putting Hana down when she asked.

The toddler ran over to Tooru, hugging his leg. “Tooru!” She poked his cheek when she was lifted into his arms. “Tooru play! Tooru play volleyball!”

Tooru laughed. “That’s right, Hana-chan.”

Once Kageyama and Hinata arrived and everyone had changed, they split themselves into teams of five.

Kuroo had immediately claimed Tooru for his own team so they could ultimately defeat Bokuto, and in turn, that meant Kousuke was with them. Kousuke didn’t really care either way, he just wanted to improve as a setter and learn from more experienced players. He’d be excited either way. Hinata and Akaashi finished up their roster, and Kousuke practically begged for a chance to toss to Hinata at some point during the match, and the new Little Giant didn’t have the heart to say no.

Hajime, Daichi, Bokuto, Kageyama, and Suga completed the other team, and after both sides warmed up, they were ready to go.

Tooru took a deep breath. 

Being here made his blood rush with adrenaline, with vitality, with the exhilaration of a real match between the strongest volleyball players he’s ever known. He had been waiting for this day, the day that he could finally go up against his parents and show them what he was made of. He knew very well that his spikes wouldn’t get past their blocks. He was simply too short, and while he knew height had little to do with anything, he could jump nowhere near as high as Hinata could. But there were things he could still do to help his team. He could still serve, receive, and set. Hell, he could even be a decoy. He’d be an asset and not a detriment. 

He would make sure of that.

Before they went to their respective sides of the net, Tooru ran up to Hajime and Daichi. “Dad? Papa?”

They turned to look at him.

He clenched his fists, heart racing as he looked them in the eye. “Please… please promise that you won’t go easy on me! I want to face you both at your strongest, no holds barred.”

Everyone stood there, seemingly at a loss for words, and Kousuke stepped in.

“Please give us this opportunity to face you all at your best!” he said. “I think I can speak for Iwa-chan when I say that we’ve both been waiting for the day we’d be able to participate in your practice matches after watching you all for so long. And if I may be so bold, I think you’d be doing us a disservice if you didn’t play seriously.”

“Unless of course,” Tooru started, voice lowering with the challenge in his tone but his expression was still unassuming, “you’re worried that we’ll receive all of your attacks.”

“Then we can understand your… _apprehension,”_ Kousuke finished.

The gym was quiet, the adults trading glances with each other, before looking back to Tooru and Kousuke.

“Is it just me or did we get called out by two 12 year olds?” Hajime said.

Suga put his hands on his hips. “I think we did.”

“You’re so on, half-pints!” Bokuto smirked. “We’ll show you how it’s really done!”

Tooru and Kousuke grinned. This would definitely be interesting.

Bokuto served first, waving at Hana as she cheered for him on the sidelines, and sent the ball soaring over the net. Kuroo easily received it, earning a huff of frustration from his eccentric friend, and propelled the ball in Akaashi’s direction.

“Nice receive!” Akaashi said, hands at the ready.

Hinata and Tooru charged for the net, both jumping up for the attack, and while Tooru completely expected for the toss to go to Hinata because there was almost no other option, Akaashi softly tipped the ball to the other side of the net and it landed just before Suga could get to it. A setter dump.

Tooru and Kousuke cheered, high fiving Akaashi while Hinata and Kuroo clapped him on his back.

“I’m so gonna try that one day,” Kousuke said.

“A _kaa_ shi!” Bokuto called out. “What happened to you lying low today?”

Akaashi simply shrugged but the amusement was clear as day in his eyes.

Kuroo was up to serve on their side, and Daichi received it flawlessly, the ball arcing towards Kageyama. It rested for a brief moment in Kageyama’s hands before being sent to Hajime who was already up in the air. Kuroo and Hinata met him at the net, arms up high and strong to block the possibility of a straight attack.

Tooru knew that his father saw the open pocket just behind Akaashi, so he moved as soon as Hajime brought the ball down. And while Tooru did manage to come in contact with it, the ball ricocheted off his arms and out of bounds, earning a point for the other team.

He hissed a bit, arms stinging. His father was every bit as strong as Tooru thought he was, like everyone said he was, which excited him even more. And while Hajime didn’t ask out loud if Tooru was okay, Tooru could read the look in his eyes and smiled reassuringly. He was better than okay. He was great. Fantastic, even.

“Sorry,” Tooru said.

“Don’t mind!” Hinata said.

“Whoa there, Papa Bear!” Kuroo snickered. “You trying to take your son’s arms off?”

“Dad, you made a promise not to hold back, remember?” Tooru interjected. “I want nothing but your best! Play like you would in a real game, like you did against Karasuno and Datekou! Please!”

That spike was definitely one of the stronger ones, but Tooru could feel the hesitation as it hit his arms. The caution. The worry that Tooru would get hurt. And Tooru understood, he truly did. But that simply would not do. He’d been waiting for this day to show what he was really made of. He’d been waiting for the day that he’d be able to go up his greatest inspiration, to show that he had every right to carry the Iwaizumi name. He wasn’t just gonna let this slip away from him. 

This was ace vs. ace.

And Tooru was determined not to lose.

“Your dad’s strong, little man,” Kuroo said. “You gonna be able to handle it?”

“I can handle it,” Tooru nodded. “Dad, no more holding back! Promise?”

Hajime was quiet for a moment before releasing a soft sigh. And he smiled. “Promise.” 

“Papa, you have to promise, too!”

“I promise,” Daichi said.

The practice match continued, and Kousuke and Tooru held their own pretty well in the grand scheme of things. Hajime and Daichi kept their promise and gave everything they had, and Tooru couldn’t have been happier, even if he did feel his frustration growing that he couldn’t receive not even half their spikes. Kuroo had also changed tactics in the middle of the set by not marking Hajime, Bokuto, and Daichi anymore and simply focused on receiving to fill in any gaps in the defense. 

They lost the first set by six points, but they were determined to get the second and third set.

“They’re tough,” Kousuke said, wiping his face with a towel.

Tooru sipped at his water bottle. “I expected nothing less.”

“And what the heck is with that straight spike Bokuto-san was using? That thing’s almost impossible to stop. Nearly ripped my arms off. Don’t even get me started with your dads.”

Tooru laughed. The next spike he had received from Hajime was at full power just like he had asked, and even though he managed to receive it, the sheer force made him lose his footing. Daichi’s was much the same. Hell, even Suga had a lot more power than he let on. But he was learning. He was learning how to read them, what made them tick.

He knew Kousuke was also watching everyone, particularly Kageyama, like a hawk. Absorbing everything and missing nothing. Kousuke later sought out Akaashi’s advice on what he could do better during the small break, and Akaashi surprised him by saying that Kousuke could be the designated setter for this round.

Tooru could read the anxiety in Kousuke’s eyes and held out his fist. “Through thick and thin.”

Kousuke bumped it with his own. “Until the very end.”

“You got this,” Tooru said. “You’re a setter, aren’t you? You’re Yukimura Kousuke, aren’t you? You can do anything you set your mind to. Now let’s get to work.”

“Don’t use my words against me, Iwa-chan.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, Yukimura.”

“Tooru’s right,” Akaashi said, placing his hand on Kousuke’s shoulder. “You’ll do just fine. You’re a stronger setter than you realize and are able to adapt to almost anyone. We’ve already told you where each one of us needs the ball so we have the utmost faith in your tosses.”

“Relax,” Kuroo said. “Think of this is as just another match in junior high.”

Kousuke nodded. “Right! Thank you!”

Tooru looked over at his parents and they grinned and gave him a thumbs-up. Tooru returned it, feeling more excited by the minute. Was he strong enough to win against the very people he looked up to? Well, he’d have to find out.

 _Please watch me,_ he thought.

The next set began with Tooru’s serve. 

He breathed deep, Kousuke’s calls for a nice serve ringing in his ears, and he exhaled. “Focus.”

The ball went up in the air, Tooru’s body going through the motions he had practiced for months on end as he jumped into the air, and sent it flying over the net. He watched it head straight for his father before it curved off slightly to the left, and Hajime managed to get it at the very last second.

Tooru clicked his tongue but was still pretty happy that he had gotten it to curve the way it did. He had watched Oikawa jump serve countless times on the recordings. He had watched the footwork, the way the ball hit his hand, and spent most of his days implementing what he had learned.

Of course, it wasn’t easy. And he’d failed a lot. Again, serving wasn’t his strong suit by any means and he still needed to figure out how to make it curve even sharper. But the surprised looks on everyone’s faces made it all worthwhile.

“Sorry! It’s a little short!” Hajime said.

Kageyama improvised, moving a bit further from the net.

 _Dad received so he can’t attack,_ Tooru thought. _That leaves Papa, Uncle Kou, and Uncle Boku left._

He watched Kageyama, remembering what Kuroo and Daichi had said about read blocking, and was going to apply that to where he received it.

The ball soared to Bokuto.

_Uncle Boku’s been giving us straights since this match started and Tetsu-chan’s received almost every single one of them. If I were him…_

Bokuto slammed the ball down and it cut across the air.

Tooru received it. _I’d go for the cross spike, too!_

“Great job!” Kuroo grinned.

The ball was sent in Kousuke’s direction, and in turn, Kousuke sent it to his right. Hinata’s hand connected perfectly, hitting the open space between Kageyama and Hajime.

“Nice kill!” Kousuke said.

“Nice toss!” Hinata high-fived him.

“Aww, he totally read me!” Bokuto deflated.

“Like an open book,” Suga laughed.

Hana giggled from the sidelines, clapping her tiny hands. “Daddy silly!”

Bokuto grinned. 

The set continued with a win for Tooru’s team, but the third set was an entire tug of war, and they were down by one by the end of it all. Bokuto’s team at match point. Tooru wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. How in the world was he going to go about this? He was exhausted, his legs felt like jelly, and he knew Kousuke was as tired as he was.

They had one shot at winning this.

Akaashi was next to serve, pulling a jump floater that Daichi received. Suga tossed the ball to Kageyama this time who aimed for the open spot behind Kousuke. But Kuroo dove, managing to catch it and send it back to Kousuke. The toss went to Hinata.

Suga nabbed the ball as it came crashing down and it soared towards Kageyama again.

Daichi was on the move, and this time, he was met by Kuroo and Hinata. Tooru knew it was a risk, leaving Akaashi, Kousuke, and Tooru without the best receiver on the team to, well, receive, but he knew that Kuroo would rather slow the ball down than risk it ricocheting off of one of them and flying out of bounds, especially since they had strong wing spikers. This way, they still had a chance. 

The ball hit the tip of Hinata’s fingertips, slowing its momentum.

But it wasn’t enough.

The ball arced, going behind Kousuke and Tooru both and they were on the move. Akaashi sprinted for it too, diving just as they did, but the ball landed seconds before they could reach it.

33-35.

Game over.

Tooru stood back up, dusting off his clothes and his pride. “Again.” 

Kousuke joined him. “One more round.”

Bokuto laughed. “They’ve got gumption, I’ll give ‘em that!”

“We won’t give up that easily!” Tooru and Kousuke declared.

Hajime smiled. “Everyone up for one more round?”

“Hell yeah we are!” Hinata said.

“Count me in,” Suga smiled.

“I’m always up for another round,” Kuroo smirked.

**

Kousuke’s mother came to pick up her son about 30 minutes after the practice match, when Tooru and Kousuke both were fast asleep on the bench, snoring shamelessly. They had lost the second round too, but they were fine with it. They had fun and they learned a lot, which is ultimately what was wanted.

“Look at that, all worn out,” Suga chuckled, watching Tooru sleep. “They did great though. Full of surprises, those two.”

Hajime would be lying if he said that Tooru’s serve didn’t catch him off guard. It completely blindsided him, along with everyone else. It was not only strong but he managed to get it to change course at the last second. That was something he’d only seen Oikawa do, and Hajime wondered just how long Tooru spent trying to perfect it.

Hajime smiled. He was so proud of his son.

“They’re going to dangerous when they get into high school,” Daichi said. “I’m excited to see how far they’ll go.”

Akaashi came over with Hana in his arms and Bokuto at his side when everyone was done cleaning the gym up. She was fast asleep, hands fisted into Akaashi’s shirt.

“Well, we’d better head home,” Bokuto said. “Thanks for today, it was a lot of fun! We should totally do it again sometime! I’m always willing to kick Kuroo’s ass!”

“While you’re thinking about that, make sure you find some new tricks otherwise Tooru’s going to read you like a book again,” Kuroo smirked.

“I’ve got plenty of more tricks up my sleeve!” Bokuto said on his way out the door, sticking his tongue out. “Just you wait and see!”

Suga waved. “Bye, Bokuto. Bye, Akaashi.”

“Later!” Bokuto grinned.

“Bye,” Akaashi said.

Hajime walked over to Tooru, nudging him gently. “Tooru. Come on, let’s go home.”

Tooru barely budged.

Hajime smiled. Guess there wasn’t any way around it. He shifted Tooru onto his back, making sure he had a solid hold before following Suga, Kuroo, and Daichi to the gym doors.

“Kageyama, Hinata – you sure you don’t need us to do anything else?” Daichi asked.

“Yeah, we’ve got it!” Hinata spun the ring of keys around his forefinger. “All we’ve gotta do is turn off the lights and lock up. You guys go on home!”

“Thanks again,” Suga said.

They said their goodbyes when they walked out into the parking lot, the summer night cool and refreshing on their skin, and parted ways. As Hajime and Daichi walked to their car, Tooru stirred.

“Dad… Papa…” he murmured. “Did I do okay?”

“You did amazingly,” Hajime said.

“We’re so proud of you,” Daichi added.

And Hajime felt Tooru smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was a lot of fun! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> The next chapter will be sort of an epilogue of sorts but not entirely. And I can say that I am very excited to start the Iwaizumi!reincarnation AU. Are you guys excited? I hope so.
> 
> Remember, you can always talk to me here or on tumblr at tenacioustooru. Please feel free to message me!


	15. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tooru: Age 17

The whistle blew.

Tooru opened his eyes, the excitement of the game roaring through him again. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the roar of the crowd reverberating in the air. This was it. Last chance to go to nationals. Last chance against Okumura. Last chance to ever play as an ace in high school. 

It was the third set in the middle of a timeout since they had managed to get a momentum going that meant trouble for the other team. 35-34. They just needed two more points and it was game over. They’d walk away victors and be one of the three representatives for Tokyo. And Tooru was going to do everything in his power to make that happen.

“Focus,” he said.

Kousuke clapped him on his back, proudly donning the number one on his uniform. “You all right? Don’t puke on me now.”

“I’m fine,” Tooru fixed his glasses. “Let’s just win this set.”

“All right guys, you heard him,” Kousuke grinned as the team huddled together, their hands in the middle. “We’re like the blood in our veins. We must flow without stopping. Keep the oxygen moving and your mind working.” He looked at his teammates. “Let’s do this!”

“Yeah!” they all said.

“I hope you know we’re going to win this set, too,” Okumura said from the other side of the net when they were in position. “My team is easily the strongest one here.” 

Kousuke unfortunately didn’t pass the entrance exam to get into Nohebi despite studying for months on end, and only passed Nekoma’s and Fukurodani’s. Nekoma was in a much more reasonable walking distance from where they lived so he decided to go there. And Tooru followed him without hesitation.

Okumura Hikaru attended a prestigious school in central Tokyo that was renowned for their strength in sports and academics – Amagawa Academy. The only way to get in besides the very difficult entrance exam was through a sports scholarship that was equally difficult to obtain. 

Tooru had received one.

He didn’t take it.

Kousuke berated Tooru for not taking that chance, but Tooru knew there was a very high possibility that they wouldn’t be attending the same university when they graduated so he wanted to be on the same team for as long as possible. It’d be fine either way.

Tooru barely spared a glance in Hikaru’s direction. “No one is guaranteed victory.”

The set resumed with the opponents’ serve, which the libero on Nekoma artlessly received, and Kousuke was already ready and waiting. Tooru ran up to the net with the other wing spikers on his team in a synchronized attack, and when Kousuke pulled off a setter dump, the only ones who looked remotely surprised was Okumura’s team since they missed receiving it by mere centimeters.

But Okumura blasted through their block on the next rotation, gaining a point for his side.

The entire set continued like that, point for point, with seemingly no end in sight, until they were up by one again. The gym was full of nervous excitement, the crowd practically on their feet, as they waited in anticipation for the outcome of the match.

And it was Tooru’s serve.

Just like that time he had faced Okumura’s team in junior high and his serve had cost them the game. Now, this would be serve that would win them the game. There was no other option.

He could feel his ankle start to protest a bit, pulling ever so slightly, but not enough to hinder completely. It’d be fine for this serve, that much was certain. But if the game carried on any longer he was going to have to sit out. And that was the last thing he wanted.

Tooru spun the ball in his hands a bit just as the whistle blew.

He jumped up with the toss.

And slammed it over to the other side of the net.

The ball shot towards one of the weakest receivers on the Amagawa team, number 8, which all things considered he wasn’t very weak at all, and it seemed like he was going to get it.

Until it curved.

The ball spun sharply to the left and landed right next to the astonished player.

And the whistle blew again. Only this time, it was hard to hear over their cheers.

**

Tooru hurriedly changed into his Nekoma jacket and sweatpants, telling his teammates that he’d catch up with them in a bit since he was going to run to meet up with his parents real quick before they loaded up on the bus and head back to school. The locker room was buzzing with conversation, and even though it was late and they had just played three full sets against a very strong team, Tooru was nowhere near close to being tired.

He was wide awake, the adrenaline from their win like the blood in his veins.

He smiled to himself. He couldn’t wait to talk to his parents about this and – oh.

Okumura Hikaru stood before him, a stone expression on his face, and Tooru merely raised an eyebrow. 

What could he possibly want?

Tooru just walked past him. He had nothing to say. Everything that he had been holding in over the course of their rivalry since they were children was said on the volleyball court. His words roared in his spikes, whispered in his feints. There was nothing left after that.

But Okumura seemed to have other plans.

“I hate to say this, but you played a solid game out there today, Iwaizumi.”

Tooru stopped.

“Your strength at Nekoma is wasted, you know. You had a chance to attend a powerhouse and realize your true potential,” Okumura continued, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Yukimura is weak, which is why he didn’t make it anywhere that mattered.”

“Watch it, Okumura.” Tooru looked over his shoulder, voice low. “You’re walking on thin ice.”

“Because of your worthless pride, you chose wrong.”

The light glinted off of Tooru’s glasses. “Worthless pride, huh? I suppose that’s true.” He turned around. “Listen up, Okumura. I never once thought my choice was wrong. And my volleyball days are nowhere near over.”

The three years playing as Nekoma’s ace were some of the best years of his life. He had made so many friends, learned so many things, not just from former upperclassmen but also his current underclassmen. They had grown together, from working with the first years on their receives to cracking down on any members whose selfish playing ran a risk of tearing things apart, and rose to be one of the best teams in Tokyo next to Kuroo’s generation. Even the renowned “Battles at the Garbage Dump” with the new members of Karasuno were so much fun. He’d be lying if he said Kousuke, as captain, didn’t play a humongous part in that because _he did._

Tooru was _so proud_ of that.

“So don’t you ever forget,” Tooru continued, something resonating within him, “my worthless pride.”

Okumura simply stared at him. 

And Tooru smirked. "Now if you'll excuse me, Okumura. I have somewhere to be."

Hajime, Daichi, and everyone else were already waiting for him when he rounded the corner, among the other families that came to congratulate their sons or daughters on a job well done, even if a win didn’t come out of their games. They pat Tooru on the back, bright smiles on their faces, words of praise springing from their tongues.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Tooru grinned. “You didn’t have to.”

“Are you kidding?” Suga playfully punched him on the arm. “Don’t be ridiculous, Tooru. There’s no way we would’ve skipped out on this!”

“I saw you use that cross spike I taught you against that punk ass Okumura kid!” Bokuto chimed in. “Great tutelage on my part, if I do say so myself!”

“Looks like little Tooru isn’t so little anymore,” Kuroo said. “He’s all grown up.”

Daichi chuckled. “As if we don’t feel old enough already.”

Hana and the young boy Kuroo and Suga had adopted named Satoshi ran up to Tooru, hugging his legs and raving about the entire match in a flurry of words and wild hand gestures, jumping all around. And Tooru couldn’t help but laugh.

Hajime smiled, patting Tooru on his shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son.”

Tooru grinned. “Thanks, Dad.”

_For everything._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa's scene with Ushijima in season two was absolutely iconic to me.
> 
> So this marks the end of Calendar Pages! I hope you've all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope it was all what you expected and I can't thank you all enough for the kudos and comments. You're wonderful and I love you guys so much.
> 
> Hopefully I'll have the Iwaizumi!reincarnation story out very soon so please be on the lookout if you're interested!
> 
> Thank you for everything.


End file.
